2018 was a roller coaster of a year for Karan Higdon and the Michigan Wolverines. It all started with a loss on the road to Notre Dame in the first game of the season, followed by 10 straight wins to get them back into the College Football Playoff mix, and ended with a devasting loss to Ohio State.
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Higdon, who was one of the team captains, played a huge role for the Wolverines as he rushed for 1,178 yards and 10 touchdowns.
But following Michigan’s loss to the Buckeyes, Higdon made a decision to sit out the Peach Bowl and to begin focusing on his preparations for the NFL Draft rather than battling with his teammates in their final game of the season. Some understood Higdon’s decision to sit out, while others called him a disgrace, a quitter, and even worse on social media.
Higdon recently joined the Locked on Wolverines podcast and talked about his decision to leave his teammates high and dry before their Peach Bowl matchup against Florida.
From Wolverines Wire:
“It wasn’t a predetermined thing,” Higdon said. “It was an evaluation process I had to go through with my family and my coaches, my team. Ultimately, just made the best decision for the situation. Obviously, that was me sitting out the bowl game. It was definitely something that was tough. It wasn’t something that I necessarily pictured myself doing or wanted to indulge in. But it was the best situation for me at that moment – or for the time being.”
Higdon also talked about the backlash that came along with his decision.
“Yeah, obviously, via social media and things of that nature, but those people don’t matter,” Higdon said. “Ultimately, they don’t understand the player’s perspective or understand why a player may be doing so. They only read assumptions that are made of why a player sat out. The possibilities of why a player sat out. They don’t truly know. They’re entitled to that opinion and they have a right to be. Ultimately, it truly doesn’t matter, because at the end of the day, I’m not the one playing for them.”
