Most 20-year-old high-profile athletes skip out early to earn a better salary and perhaps cash in on endorsement dollars. Not Jeremy Bloom.

Bloom, who was forced to choose between playing football at the University of Colorado or continuing to pursue a professional skiing career that brings with it endorsements and a potential television career, chose the pigskin Monday.

Bloom scored touchdowns on a 59-yard punt return and a 65-yard reception in the Buffaloes' scrimmage Saturday.

"You couldn't give me any amount of money in the world to stop me from fulfilling a childhood dream, and that is to play Division I college football," Bloom said Monday. "I couldn't be happier with the decision.

"Even if I don't play, I'm going to be traveling to Lincoln, Neb. (on Nov. 29) and I'm going to at least be on the sidelines when we play Colorado State at Invesco Field (on Aug. 31)."

In an interview Monday afternoon on The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio, Bloom said his skiing career could be in jeopardy if he falls behind in training for freestyle skiing, which is changing the events of its program. But Bloom would not rule out a return to the sport before the end of his college football eligibility.

Last Thursday, a Boulder, Colo., district court judge denied Bloom's injunction request against the NCAA that would allow him to play football and earn endorsement money from Oakley and Under Armour, and a modeling deal with Tommy Hilfiger.

"When I first heard of the decision, I was 99.9 percent sure I wasn't going to appeal it," Bloom said. "Not only am I going to be broke, but I'll be in debt. But then some lawyers called and said they were willing to help out. I haven't made up my mind yet, but if I do appeal, I'm going to be as far away from it as I possibly can."

NCAA rules allow a player to earn a salary from a professional sport while playing another sport in college, but athletes are prohibited from endorsing products based on their athletic ability. Bloom was allowed to practice with Colorado's football team since his enrollment on Aug. 8, but the NCAA said he would have to get rid of all of his endorsements within weeks.

On Friday, Bloom's agent Andy Carroll terminated his client's endorsement deals to make him eligible for the season.

"Between the lawsuit and the amount of money he won't be getting, it has cost him a fortune," Carroll said. "That's not even counting the potential income he would earn from doing television or movies."

Bloom's lawyers argued that his endorsements were from skiing and not football, and stressed that skiers depend on endorsements and not salaries as a source of income. They said they also sought to point out the hypocrisy of the NCAA, which allows universities to sell the sponsorship on their football uniforms to shoe and apparel companies, but wouldn't let Bloom get paid to wear his own gear.

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at Darren.rovell@espnpub.com