An Oklahoma football player has said so long to the Sooners, so he can sign up to serve his country.

Scott Wright of the OKLAHOMAN reports that Britt Mitchell, a freshman offensive lineman for OU, left the football team last week in order to enlist with the U.S. Marine Corps.

Are workouts with Bob Stoops so intolerable that you’d rather hitch up with the Marines? OU SID Kenny Mossman explains that a military career for Mitchell “has been attractive to him for some time“, and that the Sooners’ coaching staff give Britt their “full support“.

However, Wright comes off as a little snippy that Mitchell would dare turn his back on the Sooner Schooner:

Mitchell’s departure won’t have a major impact on the Sooners. He was the least-recruited of OU’s three offensive line signees in February and was one of the lowest rated players in the 21-man signing class, according to Internet recruiting services Rivals and Scout.

So, in other words, “good riddance”? “Who needs ‘em”? You’d think that a player willing to give up gridiron glory to risk his life in the armed forces would have some impact. Are the unflattering words really necessary?

Well, we’re sure Pat Tillman would be proud of Mitchell. Hopefully, Britt doesn’t end up meeting Pat’s unfortunate end.