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Subscribe to RSSOn Nov. 19, Yale University quarterback Patrick Witt faces a tough choice: He can lead Yale against arch rival Harvard University in New Haven, Conn., or he can interview for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in Atlanta. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
By Anne Thompson
NBC News
He runs a pro style offense for the Yale Bulldogs, but 22-year-old Patrick Witt is, in a real sense, an option quarterback. Or at least a quarterback with options any college senior would envy.
Not only does Witt have a full-time job offer from Boston Consulting Group, but National Football League scouts are closely watching his games. One scouting website even projects Witt, the most accurate passer in Yale University history, will be selected in the sixth or seventh round of the NFL draft.
But on Nov. 19, Witt faces a tough choice: He can lead Yale against arch rival Harvard University in New Haven, Conn., or he can interview for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in his hometown of Atlanta.
On the one hand, the opportunity to be a Rhodes Scholar, Witt says, is tremendous. “And it is a difficult process. There are plenty of excellent candidates every year that aren’t selected, so that’s one part of it,” he said.
On the other, the game against Harvard would be Witt’s last college game. “And I’ve invested a lot of time. This is a sport I’ve been playing since I was a kid.”
Witt is not the first football player to face this dilemma. You might remember former Florida State University safety Myron Rolle, who faced a similar choice in 2008. Rolle, too, was a Rhodes finalist and had to interview for the scholarship in Birmingham, Ala. during the day, and try to make it for a crucial contest against Maryland in College Park, Md. He was able to do both because the Maryland game took place at night, and FSU had a private plane pick him up in Alabama. A police escort delivered Rolle to the game in Maryland. Rolle won the scholarship and FSU won the game.
The timing this year is not in Witt's favor. The kickoff for the 128th meeting between Harvard and Yale is set for noon on Nov. 19. The Rhodes interview could take all day - that same day. Even if Witt got the first interview at 8 a.m. Saturday, he could still be called back in the afternoon for a follow-up conversation. There have been offers of private planes, but with the possibility of a callback, they wouldn't help.
Witt is a history major with a 3.91 grade point average. "Patrick rocks," said Dr. John Merriman, history professor, who wrote a Rhodes recommendation letter for Witt. Merriman said Witt earned an A plus in one of his courses during football season.
"Patrick, he's the only guy I've known here that -- male or female -- that's really a great athlete and a great scholar," Merriman said.
Witt's college career started at the University of Nebraska, where he had a four-year athletic scholarship as a quarterback for the Cornhuskers. While the football was challenging, Witt felt frustrated in the classroom.
"I came [to Yale] as a finance major from Nebraska and completely changed my trajectory,” he said. “I became a history major, focused quite extensively on French history with Professor Merriman. It's those expansions of your horizons that I really sought in coming here and I've been able to do just that."
Yale does not offer athletic scholarships. Witt’s parents, Gene and Cathy, both commercial airline pilots, pay $55,000 a year for their son’s education.
Witt wants to study international relations at Oxford University in England, in preparation for a career in politics. "At the end of the day, the best advice I've been given is ‘this is your decision and you have to do what's right for you,’” he said.
The choice comes with no guarantees. If Witt opts for the Rhodes interview, he might not get the scholarship. If he opts for the game, Yale will be a decided underdog against a Harvard team that has not lost in the Ivy League this season.
"It's thrilling," Witt said, "but, again, it's a big dilemma."
Learn more about Patrick Witt on Monday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 ET on Nightly News with Brian Williams.
Leave a Comment:
If he's as good as everyone claims he is then missing a game won't diminish his worth as a QB...taking the interview is a no brainer.
I might not care about football, but it's a matter of integrity and commitment that should compel him to play. I'd find that way more admirable than doing the interview. Not to say it isn't a tough choice, but it also sounds like he has extensive options, scholarship or not.
This decision will have interesting implications in the student-athlete / athlete-student discussions.
i never read comments after i make mine. so feel free to say what you like afterwards,lol.
its my opinion the young man should play the game.
As a graduate from a good UK University (not Oxford!) and former UK citizen (now a US Citizen) I find the discussion interesting - only in the USA would any game or any sport even be considered ahead of a Rhodes Scholarship (or indeed any academic scholarship) ... I sense "joemike404" and "eugene hulbert" both know this also. I have a daughter who is a senior at University here in America - we (our daughter included) chose the University on the basis that it provided a good academic education, and the athletes were students first, athletes second.
A Rhodes Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship one can win. This can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in real cash and world-wide prestige. When finished with their studies, Rhodes Scholars can pick and choose from any number of career offers. A Rhodes Scholar is set for life! Bill Clinton is a Rhodes Scholar.
THE DILEMMA: A RHODES SCHOLAR WOULD NEVER ABANDON HIS TEAMMATES FOR THE LAST AND MOST IMPORTANT GAME OF THE SEASON, WHEN MANY OF THEM ARE DEPENDING ON A GOOD SHOWING IN ORDER TO WIN THEIR OWN SCHOLARSHIPS WHICH HAVE NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED.
This is more than a choice between one's professional success, money, prestige and lifetime security on one hand and the satisfaction of one's soul on the other. Patrick's team depends on him. Some of his teammates are still competing for athletic scholarships and this game is their last chance to show their best to the scouts. They can't do this if their starting quarterback is off discussing his educational preferences with a bunch of stuffy intellectuals who are probably enjoying his REAL LIFE DILEMMA as much as if it was a Shakespeare production!
If the Rhodes Scholarship interviewers refuseto accommodate Patrick Witt by adjusting the time and place of his interview(s), they will be telling him that if he wants his scholarship HE WILL HAVE TO ACT IN A MANNER THAT CONTRADICTS THE ESSENCE OF THE RHODES SCHOLARSHIP. Patrick Witt is a devoted committed team player and leader. A RHODES SCHOLAR, LIKE MR. WITT WOULD NEVER TURN HIS BACK ON HIS TEAMMATES AND THE SPORT HE LOVES IN ORDER TO ATTEND A MEETING TO DISCUSS HIS OWN FUTURE
Playing this last game against Harvard could give Witt the most passionate memories of his lifetime. Hewill have memories of this game as long as he lives
Winning a Rhodes Scholarship could be the most important event in Patrick Witt's lifetime ... but it's not going to give this quarterback the same HIGH that he will get from playing that last game.
The benefits of a Rhodes Scholarship last forever.
The memories and excitement of the last game will repeat in Witt's head forever.
SOLUTION:
If the Rhodes Scholarship interviews cannot be adapted to accommodate Mr. Witt's commitments, then he can request that they interview him next year for the scholarship. This way he can play his last game and complete his football season properly and start his scholarship and post graduate studies NEXT YEAR.
My father graduated from the US Naval Academy and was nominated, as Mr. Witt is. Unfortunately, my dad was out at sea and could not get back for the interview, so that was the end of the road. He accepted that that was the way things worked, moved on and has had a great life. But he always wondered what would have happened and whether he would have been selected. I say, Take the interview!
This is not a dilemna, and this opinion is from a former D1 football player -- interview for the scholarship. The average expectancy in the NFL is 5 years, the value of the Rhodes Scholarship is life-long.
But even a low salary in the NFL for 5 years is worth a hell of a lot! Perhaps even as much as he'd make in a lifetime of work using a history degree, depending on his performance.
No dilemma at all. He should play the game. Last chance to impress the NFL and earn the big bucks. Scholarships will always be around. NFL, now or never. Plus, the scholarship, even if he gets it, is not worth as much as the NFL contract. So play the game, go pro. Commit to something and don't be wishy-washy.
Plus, the guy was a history major, it's not like he studied chemical engineering or something that truly requires brain power. What's the job market like for history majors? They shouldn't even offer scholarships for humanities, IMO. Silliness.
I think the Rhodes commitmee, if they are to be taken seriously about recruiting the best talent, need to make some scheduling accomodations. What if some math genius was in space on a NASA mission and he couldn't make the interview? They pick some less talented person sitting around at home who happens to be able to fit into the schedule instead? Makes no sense at all. Rhodes sure are dumb for supposedly being a group of smart people.
If I were him and they won't be flexible, I'd try again for the interview next year, play the game now, try to go pro now.
He should interview for the scholarship, of course! There are few opportunities that can compete with the potential of a professional career in sports; this is one of them.
At some point in life you've got to decide what you want to do with yourself. You wanna play football, boy--make some money, maybe a whole lotta money, rack up some real life experience....or are you in such a big hurry to sit behind a nice safe desk for the rest of your life?
I know how the game of football is played. What I do not know is what goes on during a Rhodes Scholar interview? Do they ask you your favorite color?
If you ARE really thinking about choosing between a friggin football game and Rhodes scholarship, then you shouldn't have even been picked to interview for the Rhodes...Geez....
What about having a private plane make it possible to do both? Won't Rhodes let you go first/last as necessary to do both in one day?
Nowhere in the broadcast does the reporter mention the possibility of rescheduling the interview. Did she contact the Rhodes committee? If so, what did they tell her? You could drive a truck through that gaping hole in the story. I kept waiting to hear that answer to no avail.
What about having a private plane make it possible to do both? Won't Rhodes let you go first/last as necessary to do both in one day?
I think that the Interview should just be postponed or just moved to another date. He shouldnt have to choose over the two... Its not like its gonna kill anyone to change the date!!