rayonsports.com

There was a story in the news recently accusing one of this year’s leading candidates for college football’s coveted Heisman Trophy, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, of insisting on being paid to sign a letter of intent to attend school at the time he was being recruited. It involves his father supposedly insisting on his son getting “anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000” to sign with Mississippi State. Nothing has been proven but every day someone else seems to be coming forward implicating at least the father, not necessarily Cam himself, to the point where the story will most likely influence the outcome of the Heisman voting this year. With Reggie Bush just recently returning his trophy from 2005 due to the NCAA finding he had received improper benefits while playing at the school, the voters this year will certainly be scared away from voting for Newton, whether there’s any proof of wrongdoing or not. To me, this is all hypocrisy on the part of the NCAA. They run around handing out sanctions to players and schools supposedly defending the “purity” and “sanctity” of their sports, while at the same time pocketing millions of dollars marketing those same players and schools. College basketball has been watered down in recent years, starting when star players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James went straight to the NBA out of high school. Under the guise of protecting young players who declared for the pro draft who weren’t really pro prospects, the NBA and NCAA devised a system where players now have to complete at least a year of college ball before turning pro. This has created the “one and done” phenomenon, in which NBA calibre players now enroll and play at a school for a year before going pro, instead of taking the direct route from high school. Last season, the University of Kentucky had a roster of players considered to be national championship material. Four of their five starters were freshmen. The Wildcats didn’t win the title, but all five starters declared for the NBA draft, including top pick John Wall and #7 choice DeMarcus Cousins. So now there are going to be NCAA programs, promoting “student athletes” and running ads during televised games hailing what a great education their school offers, who in reality are fielding teams of one-year “rental” NBA players. The success of Bryant, James and others in the NBA proves that elite players can jump directly to the pro level in their sport. Football should do the same thing, allow players to be drafted out of high school if they’re good enough. The argument used to keep football players in school is that they’re not physically ready to compete in the NFL, but if that’s true, then the NFL “practice squads” are the perfect place for these players to develop while they learn their team’s system and how to be professional. The NFL and NBA only go along with these NCAA rules regarding drafting underclassmen under the threat of the schools not allowing pro scouts to visit the campuses. It’s all about money, for the NCAA, not the players. Those NCAA administrators are not going to give up their cash cows without a fight, and it’s a fight they’re winning, to the point of these young athletes being denied the right to work and earn a living  in their profession. This is supposed to be a free country, but in this case, money trumps everything, including individual freedoms. It has created a system where sleazy agents work behind the scenes to get money and benefits for the players, and every once in awhile when it goes public, the high and mighty NCAA comes down hard with sanctions and fines and puts on a show that they are “keeping the amateur status of their sports programs clean”. Give me a break, please.