Many players might look at the NFL Lockout as an unfortunate circumstance or a long vacation, but Steelers safety Troy Polamalu saw it as an opportunity. Polamalu went back to school and finally finished his history degree at USC, years after leaving before graduation.
↵↵↵"I decided to finish what I started and walked that stage today not only because it was very important to me personally, but because I want to emphasize the importance of education, and that nothing should supersede it," Polamalu said.
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Good for Polamalu - it's important for role models to show that getting an education matters, even if, ironically, Polamalu's might not. He's probably set for life, and it's hard to see how a USC history degree will be of much use in anything he might do after his NFL career his over. Still, as the proud owner of degrees in the impractical fields of music composition and philosophy, I salute Polamalu's emphasis on education for its own sake, especially when so many young people will look to him for guidance.