The College Football Championship game took place on Monday night with the undefeated (12-0) Alabama Crimson Tide taking on the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0) for supremacy.
One of the major storylines for Alabama heading into the game was the status of star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle after he suffered a broken ankle on the opening kickoff against Tennessee on October 24.
Though Alabama head coach Nick Saban has gone on record saying “He’s out. He’s out,” it turned out that Waddle felt healthy enough to return to the field alongside Heisman trophy winner Devonta Smith to create one of the most fearsome wide receiving corps in the NCAA.
However, many notable stars were rather upset that Waddle was willing to put his future on the line for the chance at glory on the college football stage, per this collection of Tweets from various NFL figures such as Dez Bryant, Patrick Mahomes, Darius Leonard, and AJ Brown.
NFL stars reacted to Jaylen Waddle returning from a fractured ankle to play in the #NationalChampionship game. pic.twitter.com/o9E5VJyRn5
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 12, 2021
Clearly, in the case of Bryant and Brown, they know how important it is to protect themselves from injury at the wide receiver position.
Waddle’s best season actually came during his freshman year at Alabama when he nabbed 445 catches for 848 yards with 7 touchdowns. However, he was on pace for a far better season this year as he had already amassed 25 catches for 557 yards before suffering the ankle injury against the Tennessee Volunteers.
Though admirable, Waddle should probably take the advice of the big names that pleaded with him and make sure he gets fully healthy for his future professional prospects in the NFL.
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