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USC’s Chimezie Metu responds to ‘fans’ criticizing him for sitting out

USC v SMU

TULSA, OK - MARCH 17: Chimezie Metu #4 of the USC Trojans reacts after a play in the second half against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 17, 2017 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

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Let’s get something out there before we even start to dive into this discussion: Chimezie Metu is not doing anything wrong.

He’s probably heading to the NBA after this season. He doesn’t want to jeopardize any chance that he has of getting drafted by injuring himself in a tournament that no one actually cares about. How many people knew that the NIT started last night, let alone actually watched one of the games?

Not many.

So the fact that he made a business decision to protect the thing that is going to make him money -- his health, his athletic ability -- while playing the sport at a level that does not pay him is absolutely, 100 percent justified.

To be frank, I don’t have the time or energy to argue with people that will disagree about this, so I’ll just make this point: Even something as simple as a sprained ankle could severely impact Metu’s chances of getting drafted in the first round. He needs to be 100 percent as he goes through those workouts and tries to earn a spot in the draft and on an NBA roster.

I have zero issue with his decision.

In fact, I applaud.

Go get your’s, Chimezie.

And don’t be afraid to light a few people up on the way out:

Screen Shot 2018-03-14 at 12.00.39 PM

Got ‘em.