First off, Syracuse football is losing out on one of its prime wide receivers in recent memory. Aside from Oronde Gadsden’s contributions in an Orange uniform, Pena has also been right there from his performances last season.
It was a main trio of wideouts that included Gadsden, Pena, and Jackson Meeks.
Pena is not only a huge loss for Syracuse, but it’s another reminder of the ever-changing and difficult consequences of the new Name, Image, and Likeness rules or absence of rules and who can do what and who can go where in college athletics.
Because Pena wanted more money and Syracuse wasn’t offering it, he went up and out.
“Sometimes, people be asking for an outrageous number,” Brown said. “You’re not about to make more than every coordinator.”
It’s a ridiculous state we’re living in at the moment because these college football players are trying to take advantage of every possible penny and dollar that they can, which they shouldn’t be blamed for. However, when it gets out of hand, then that’s another topic.
“With all due respect to everybody in the country…if you’re going to make $2 million at wide receiver, that’s the homie at Ohio State [Jeremiah Smith],” said Brown, per On3. “Ain’t nobody else making that money. I ain’t giving no wide receiver $2 million in college, man…Unless somebody tells me that we have the chance to have Travis Hunter, he can come here and play for us, then he’ll get some of my check.”
Well said, Coach Brown. Well said.
There has to be accountability among the players too, to correlate some of their thoughts with the coaching staff and realize that they can’t expect to be paid top money just yet.
This was the right move for Coach Brown to let Pena go if that’s going to be the main worry of a wideout who had a strong season for Syracuse as the second leading receiver, in terms of receiving yards.
