Florida State’s Rolle to Skip NFL Draft for Rhodes Scholarship
By Bob Bensch and Curtis Eichelberger
Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Florida State University safety Myron Rolle is bypassing an immediate chance at a multimillion-dollar contract in the National Football League to study at Oxford University.
Rolle, a three-year starter for the Seminoles, is accepting a Rhodes scholarship to study at the school in England, said his brother McKinley Rolle, who is managing Myron’s media appearances.
Rolle, 22, started all but one game for Florida State this season, arriving late for the Nov. 22 game at Maryland after completing a Rhodes Scholar interview. He finished third on the team with 62 tackles and was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference second team.
He graduated in 2 1/2 years with a degree in exercise science and is pursuing a master’s in public administration, Florida State said when it announced in November that he was among the 32 scholarship winners. He will work on a master’s degree in medical anthropology there.
“We’re expecting Mr. Rolle to join us at Oxford,” Colin Lucas, warden of the Rhodes Trust, which supports scholars selected to study at the school, said in a telephone interview. “He hasn’t given any indication he won’t.”
The New York Times said Rolle has been told he was projected to be one of the top 49 picks in the NFL draft, with the potential to go higher with a strong performance at the league’s scouting combine.
The top-picked safety in 2008, Kenny Phillips of the New York Giants, made $3.8 million this season, including bonuses. He was selected 31st overall.
Rolle, who graduated from the Hun School of Princeton, New Jersey, has said he plans on attending medical school after a career in the NFL.
Former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley and ex-Maryland Congressman Tom McMillen, both basketball players, were Rhodes Scholars, as was former NFL quarterback Pat Haden.
To contact the reporter on this story: Bob Bensch in London at
[email protected].
Last Updated: January 13, 2009 10:59 EST
