After careful deliberation, Cochrane offensive lineman John Bender is going to finish his degree before taking a shot at the pros.

Bender, a former Cochrane High Cobra who has played the past three seasons in NCAA Division 1 football with the Nevada Wolf Pack, said the decision came down to common sense.

“First and foremost I wanted to finish my degree because I think my life is going to be a lot longer after football than it’s going to be with football,” said Bender, who intends to graduate with two business degrees, in marketing and management, during a phone interview from Nevada.

“If I go to the NFL now, or the CFL now, depending on what happens and something bad happens, like I get injured, I want to be able to fall back to school and a lot of guys don’t do that, a lot of guys don’t get their degrees.”

Speculation rose that Bender might declare himself eligible to be drafted as an underclassman after he was named the No. 1 Canadian-born prospect by the CFL Amateur Scouting Bureau in December.

The 22-year-old, who stands 6-8 and tips the scales at 325 pounds, has also appeared on a number of mock NFL Draft boards as a late-round pick.

“Next year, hopefully, I will be bigger, stronger and ready to make a run at the NFL,” Bender said.

“The decision is always hard. Obviously the CFL is something that I want but more than anything I want to play in the NFL.”

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