Pryor is OUT!

[silver & black]

To my understanding no they are not allowed to work.

These guys get a lot and they seem to basically be saying that a free education (plus some other things like room and board) is not enough. The value they place on education is extremely low and as an educator myself I just can not stand it.

If they are basically taken care of, as far what they actually need, I would have to agree with you.

Let's face it... most of these guys are not good students. They don't care about the education aspect of the scholarship. All they see is a gateway to the NFL and millions of $$$. I also think that the pressure to perform at a very high level keeps most of these guys out of the classroom. I'm sure there are a few that realize they aren't NFL material, and do try to get the gegree... but for the most part, I would guess the "better" athletes don't care about it. They are just waiting for the big time.

I blame the athletes as well as the universities for this. Without the star athletes, the universities can't make millions of $$$... and neither can the coaches. The system is flawed... big time.

Something is going to have to change, or else this is going to become (if it isn't already... and I'm sure it is) more prevalent than it is now.

Every top program has the same thing going on. OSU just got caught.

[Nadroj 20]

If they are basically taken care of, as far what they actually need, I would have to agree with you.

Let's face it... most of these guys are not good students. They don't care about the education aspect of the scholarship. All they see is a gateway to the NFL and millions of $$$. I also think that the pressure to perform at a very high level keeps most of these guys out of the classroom. I'm sure there are a few that realize they aren't NFL material, and do try to get the gegree... but for the most part, I would guess the "better" athletes don't care about it. They are just waiting for the big time.

I blame the athletes as well as the universities for this. Without the star athletes, the universities can't make millions of $$$... and neither can the coaches. The system is flawed... big time.

Something is going to have to change, or else this is going to become (if it isn't already... and I'm sure it is) more prevalent than it is now.

Every top program has the same thing going on. OSU just got caught.

Thats exactly right. There aren't very many clean programs out there sadly. Some are probably cleaner then others but they all have some kind of dirt on them.

But yeah like I said to my knowledge these guys get ALOT so I won't be jumping on board with the "pay the scholarship athletes even more" idea, but yeah the system is flawed and there will always be something going on.

Another point is do ALL scholarship athletes get paid? Even the tennis, lacrosse, and other minor sports programs? What about Title IX and the women? There is just SO much to think about other then football and basketball. So where does it begin and where does it end?

My question is can anything actually be done that is fair? I don't know that anything can.

[silver & black]

My question is can anything actually be done that is fair? I don't know that anything can.

I don't know what it would be.

If these guys are being taken care of as far as their basic needs, while they are there, I'm not sure what needs to be done, to tell you the truth.

As far as paying ALL scholarship athletes... that's where it gets slippery. Tennis, Volleyball, Baseball/Softball, etc... are not revenue bringers. Football is king when it comes to making money... and Basketball to a smaller degree.

I think the "programs" need to stop looking the other way and the athletes need to appreciate the opportunity they are being given. A lot of them will go on to make big money in the NFL and the rest will have a degree to fall back on when their playing days are over. I guess it just comes down to responsibility on all parties involved?

[suitanim]

Here's the problem. The Universities will have players sign their own jersey's, then the U will auction them off. Do you see how this gets fuzzy? It's not about the "poor athlete's", it's about them seeing literally millions being made off of them. The system is basically putting the players in the way of almost impossible to ignore temptation, then it punishes those players when they are unable to resist that temptation.

The coaches get paid more than the college deans now! This is a case of things getting wildly out-of-hand, that's all. And there needs to be a change.

[zulater]

What there needs to be is a genuine developmental minor league football system sponsored by the NFL. Notice NCAA hockey and baseball manages to keep things on the straight and narrow. Why? Because the players who need the immediate payoff are able to go into the draft right out of high school. And if you go to college it's understood that you're saving your payday for later.

Wouldn't you love it if the Steelers had a farm team in say Erie, that played on Thursday nights? Honestly I think it's the only answer if college football wants to save it's soul.

[Nadroj 20]

I understand that. But they are student-athletes. There is a reason that STUDENT comes first. Just because they think they deserve celebrity status doesn't mean the colleges should fulfill that desire by further paying the scholarship athletes. What they get to play a game is A LOT with the free tution, and other expenses taken care of, but that is not good enough and that is sad IMO.

The idea of a student-athlete is to be a student first and an athlete second and most of these guys ignore the student part and it is proven when they are not satisfied with going to school for free.