That's incorrect. I went to Northwestern for undergraduate and I had football players in my fraternity, in my dorm, in my classes ( several come including a few who went pro, were economics Majors as well as I). Players lived the same lives as any other student. One that went second round in the draft used to be the hall monitor at night.
There are several factors at play here and I want to keep this polite.
First off, when did your experience happen?
I was recruited by Northwestern in the early 90's, so I'm not out of my mind on this topic. Northwestern has traditionally been to the B1G what Vanderbilt has been to the SEC. I mention this because while I think your commentary has merit, times have changed enough that when your experience happened matters. When I was recruited, what you said stands...sort of. Today though?
More to the point I was trying to make.... If Day's kid was good enough to play at a high level, he (almost certainly) would. The idea that kids still pick "schools" based on academic merit is a crock of **** for the most part. To be clear, I'm talking higher level recruits with NFL ambitions. RJ Day is 100% NOT an elite recruit. First off, he's listed at 5'11" on his 247 profile. He's a 3 star, 84 rated kid. That means he got recruited by second tier schools like Northwestern, BC, Cincy (ahem), Purdue, Syracuse. He also likely was offered by those schools as a courtesy to his dad. If you don't think that happens, well.... you're not sane.
Essentially what I was trying to convey in my original message (and failed) was that RJ Day is not an elite recruit and he settled for the best option he had available. Saying RJ chose NW for a better education is straight cope...or bullschitt as my fellow Gen X'ers would call it. That may be the company line or what his handlers are putting out there, but the fact is if Ohio State or another top tier program without the academic prestige that NW carries offered, he would be there. (see Cooper Barkate) So while I'm not disputing what you wrote - substitute Northwestern for Harvard in the Butch quote (which is a 100% real quote btw) - and my point stands. Shame on me for not better explaining that originally.
I hope you read that message without inferring any sneers, snideness, saltiness or disrespect.