Alabama Football Offensive Lineman, Kadyn Proctor is not the 'Peak CFB Villain'

Those who don't like where the college football world is today can voice negative opinions. Many do, from fans to pundits. Some college football fans counter, that despite unlimited transfers and no rules impeding the buying of recruits and players, the game of college football is as good or better than ever.

Mark me down as one who believes free agency, with no 'salary' caps is not good for college football. NIL was a good idea that thanks to both the NCAA and college administrators, is flawed by being unsustainable. Making the players employees and paying them a fair wage would be far better.

How the current mess will evolve can only be guessed. One thing that should be clear is blaming individual players is both unfair and petty. It can be argued that for sports media personalities, the negative opinions of others are part of the price of fame. It can also be argued that young men and women are entitled, as much as possible, to control their career and professional fate. And make no mistake, among the top programs for each college sport, the players are now professionals.

Treating this new category of professionals as fair game is common in sports media. Demonizing players or calling them villains provides sizzle for stories. In the sports media world covering college football, anything or anyone part of or affiliated with the Alabama Crimson Tide is ripe for being demonized.

The latest example is past and future Alabama offensive lineman, Kadyn Proctor. The former 5-Star recruit is from Iowa and in last year's recruiting cycle, he committed to Iowa. Proctor later changed his mind and signed with the Crimson Tide. Shortly after Nick Saban's retirement, Proctor decided to transfer to Iowa. A couple of days ago, Proctor announced that he will enter the Transfer Portal again when it opens in April and return to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

In writing about Proctor's recent decision, Mike Farrell wrote an opinion that what the young man is doing is "sad." Farrell added that at least to Iowa fans, Proctor's decision is "unforgivable." Those are not unfair assessments, but a few hours later, Farrell decided to go after Proctor harder.

In his second story, Mike Farrell went further by describing Kadyn Proctor as the embodiment of what's wrong with college football. Farrell wrote, "Proctor needs to learn what a high road is sometime soon. He has to learn how to treat his character and ethics as well as he does his wallet."

The harsh criticism may be considered by some as fair. But suggesting Kadyn Proctor is a young man devoid of ethical constraint went too far.