Leonard Fournette now says sitting out the bowl game was not his decision

There's another layer to the story now

And now we know the rest of the story.

Former LSU running back Leonard Fournette took some heat in December when he announced he would not play in the Citrus Bowl against Louisville. Chiefly, Fournette was criticized for "quitting" and being "soft" by resting his nagging ankle injury and shifting his focus to the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft.

The decision, at the time it was announced, sounded at least somewhat mutual. New LSU coach Ed Orgeron said himself "I know if Leonard was 100 percent, he'd be playing with us... Guys have their own mind on what they want to do in their career. That's something Leonard wanted to do."

But that's not how Fournette portrayed the decision during an interview with the NFL Network.

"To be honest, it really wasn't my decision," Fournette said. "My coach brought me into the office, man. He told me 'You have a lot on the line.' He didn't want me to play. I cried like a baby. It was hard for me. That was my first time not really traveling with the team and I couldn't play in a game with my brothers and I'm going to miss them."

If it was the coach's call for the reasons specified, that makes Fournette's appearance against Florida on Nov. 19 at least a little more interesting. Fournette was not initially dressed out to play vs. the Gators because of his ankle injury, but reportedly made the asked to play after a pre-game scuffle. Fournette rushed for 40 yards in the 16-10 loss. He did not play in the regular-season finale against Texas A&M.

Bowl season brings about different context, though. Fournette either wasn't close to being 100 percent or someone -- whether it was him, the coach, or both -- figured the risk wasn't worth it for his future. Chances are, it was a mixture of all those factors.

The small, but highly publicized surge in players not partaking in bowl games was led by Fournette and former Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey. Though they were lumped into the same category -- both nursed injuries through the 2016 season -- they surely had their own reasons for opting out early.

And if Fournette's coach made at least the initial call, that should lessen the criticism Fournette faced. Not that he deserved as much as he got anyway.