Refreshing

The Little Animal apparently has a soft side.

James Laurinaitis, the middle linebacker that has struck fear into the collective heart of offenses the NCAA over, has decided to return to Ohio State for his final season! His reasoning? He was having too much fun.

Here's some of his quotes from the story in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:

"To be honest with you, there was a lot of praying and trying to trust the Lord and there were certain signs," Laurinaitis said. "Talking to my mom this weekend, whenever I talked to her about coming back next year with the Buckeyes, I was more excited than anything about the NFL. I'm having too much fun at Ohio State...Money can't give you this experience, especially your senior season with the way this season could go," Laurinaitis said. "I'm excited about my choice to come back....
I'm hoping they're happy," Laurinaitis said. "I hope Buckeye Nation knows I love them and they're a big reason I'm coming back, because of their love and support and how proud I am to represent them."

Someone having too much fun to turn down top-10 money? Seems like it would be impossible to have that much fun. But I've read recently that James is a Christian and his dad, a former professional wrestler asked him what would happen if he got hurt. James simply replied, "God has gotten me this far, I trust he'll protect me. And if I get hurt, it was meant to be."

James shows a lot of maturity. He's a college junior that is risking millions upon millions to relish in the moment and enjoy his time with his friends for once last go around. I admire that mentality and I admire his trust in God. I pray that he is rewarded.

Whether James ends up being a superstar on the NFL level or goes a different route, I'm sure he'll be happy with the decision he made. And I know a couple million Buckeye fans are pretty happy with the decision, too.