UCLA QB Josh Rosen won’t play in Cactus Bowl with concussion symptoms

Will he or won’t he? That is the question surrounding UCLA QB Josh Rosen ahead of the Cactus Bowl, and shortly before kickoff, he was ruled out for Tuesday night’s game.

Rosen’s been battling concussions symptoms, although he attempted to give it a go in warm ups.

As for what Rosen will do after the Cactus Bowl, he’ll reportedly hesitate to enter the 2018 NFL Draft if the Cleveland Browns were expected to take him. According to Adam Schefter, Rosen would prefer to be drafted by the New York Giants

Privately, Rosen has expressed concern about winding up in Cleveland and would rather be with a more stable franchise, such as the Giants.

Rosen plans to sit down with his parents after the Cactus Bowl for a “serious conversation” before making a final decision about whether to turn pro. Whether Cleveland has the No. 1 overall pick could influence his decision, according to a source.

Rosen, who’s predicted by our latest mock to go No. 1 overall to the Browns, threw for 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during his junior season, and he finished with a 147 passer rating. This wouldn’t be the first time a future first round NFL prospect didn’t want to end up in Cleveland — last year, former Texas A&M Myles Garrett asked the Dallas Cowboys via social media to trade up for him.

Garrett ended up in Cleveland, and Watson was taken by the Houston Texans. Not to mention the Browns, who are 0-14 on the season, are monumentally bad this season.

On Saturday evening, just a few days before the Bruins’ bowl game against Kansas State, Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reported that Rosen will not play under doctor’s orders:

According to a UCLA source, Rosen wanted to play but the medical staff doesn’t want him to play in this game because they didn’t want him to risk having another concussion so close to the last one.

The junior quarterback has been in concussion protocol since getting injured late in the season. Rosen sustained a concussion against Washington on Oct. 28 and then sat out the following game. He was also banged up and sat out the second half of the Bruins’ regular-season finale against Cal on Nov. 24.

Late in the second quarter of that game, Rosen left in the second quarter after hitting the turf hard. He did not return to the game after sustaining the injury.

Earlier on Saturday, Rosen was asked about players skipping bowl games, and he had a fantastic answer, citing that some positions should be looked at differently than others.

Here’s his full answer, transcribed:

“I think it’s unfair with like the Christian McCaffrey’s and Leonard Fournette’s and stuff, and maybe with Derwin [James] and some guys, because they play very physical positions. And for them, it’s not an issue of if they’re getting hurt, it’s an issue of how severe, because most of those guys get banged up, to some extent, every single game. Quarterback’s unique, we’ll take a few licks here and there, but nothing like the beating those guys take. A lot of people bash them, but some of them have to realize that some of these guys have families, some of these guys have kids, some of these guys really have to support the people around them.

“Some of them may have been put in unfortunate circumstances where they cant afford to be in school for another year — they might want to, and people in the media may not give them that shot, that there’s a part of them that may want to be in college, they may want to play in this bowl game. but if they’ve locked in their future earnings to take care of their kids, or take care of their family, sisters, brother whatever, I think people should really look into their story and see how football is affecting their life.”

“I’m in a fortunate circumstance, where I play a not physical position, and its just every since situation is unique, and I don’t think you can lump them all together, I don’t think you can call it a trend that people are starting to miss bowl games. I think people are just starting to realize that they have a lot of power, and they don’t need to be exploited when it’s to their detriment. I think people just need to look more into each one of these people’s stories and understand the entirety of the situation, and not just lump them all together into the selfish college football player that just wants to make money.”