Sports

Should Anybody Even Care If College Athletes Take Money Under The Table?

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
Font Size:

Should anybody even care if college athletes break NCAA rules and take money under the table?

This is the question lots of people are pondering after the FBI arrested ten people, and Louisville was accused of paying a recruit $100,000.

I don’t understand why anybody is shocked or even cares if a player takes illegal benefits under the table. In any other industry, people get paid as quickly as they can.

However, college athletes must wait at least one year for basketball and three years for football before they have any opportunity to cash in on their talents. What if a player blows out their knee and can’t ever have a shot at the pros? Well, that’s just tough luck in the eyes of the NCAA.

Lots of outstanding college athletes come from very poor backgrounds. That’s just a reality, and I know that because I have witnessed it in person for years. I knew a college basketball player at a division one school who didn’t even have a bed to sleep on. How can anybody possibly see a college basketball player sleeping on the floor and then question whether or not he should take $5,000 from a booster?

I’d argue it’s immoral and wrong for the kid not to take the money, and this guy wasn’t even a superstar.

Imagine if you’re the best quarterback in college football, and your mother and sister don’t have enough food to consistently eat or money to pay rent? Who is going to look that kid in the eye and tell him it’s better if his family doesn’t eat than to take $50,000 from a booster?

There is no guarantee any athlete will ever go pro. They have to cash in while they can. I understand that the NCAA must prohibit taking money, but it will never end as long as there are athletes who need money.

Follow David on Twitter