Ultimately the debate lies on whether a football player owes the school where he is paying the full four-year commitment he signed up for, or if the university owes the football player every opportunity to excel in life beyond athletics even if the timing is crummy.
Such was the tug-of-war for Notre Dame lineman Steve Elmer and his school as the three-year starter announced today that playing football no longer appeals to him and upon graduation in May, he will leave his final year of eligibility on the table, take his degree and pursue a career as a political consultant in the Washington, D.