Teammates support UCLA QB Josh Rosen after ‘football and school don’t go together’ comments

During the first three days of fall camp, UCLA football players practiced until 10:30 p.m. They then went home to study and write papers for summer quarter finals. By 6:30 a.m. the next morning, sleepless and tired, they had to be in football meetings again. By the third day, head coach Jim Mora lamented the mental and physical grind the jam-packed schedule imposed on his players trying to live between rigorous athletic and academic worlds.

Perhaps those worlds just can’t co-exist in their current states.

In an interview with Bleacher Report posted Tuesday, quarterback Josh Rosen said “football and school don’t go together” because “trying to do both is like trying to do two full-time jobs.”

“Any time any player puts into school will take away from the time they could put into football,” Rosen said. “They don’t realize that they’re getting screwed until it’s too late. You have a bunch of people at the universities who are supposed to help you out, and they’re more interested in helping you stay eligible. At some point, universities have to do more to prepare players for university life and help them succeed beyond football.”

Many of Rosen’s teammates responded positively on social media to their quarterback’s comments. Receiver Theo Howard wrote on Twitter “my quarterback is smart,” and defensive end Jaelan Phillips posted “Josh never lied.” Former UCLA defensive end Takkarist McKinley, now a rookie with the Atlanta Falcons, wrote “Chosen Rosen always stating facts. Love that guy!”

Rosen was not available to the media after Tuesday night’s practice.

PLAY OF THE DAY

Linebacker Chase Ault laid a devastating hit on receiver Damian Alloway, jarring the ball loose and popping it in the air. It landed in the waiting arms of defensive tackle Ainuu Taua, who returned the fumble for a 20-yard touchdown.

ABSENT

Receiver Jordan Lasley and running backs Nate Starks and Brandon Stephens were all absent from the field during Tuesday’s practice. Starks and Stephens missed their second straight practice while Lasley was ejected from Monday’s session.

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