NCAA Scandal: Should College Players Be Paid?

NCAA….

The FBI has uncovered a sophisticated NCAA college basketball scandal, which involved illegally paying players to attend certain colleges as an incentive to join their basketball program.  Now, many are asking the million dollar question:  Is it time to finally pay college players?

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In a “You scratch our back, we’ll scratch yours” scheme, sports agents and top name sneaker companies have been funneling cash to colleges, so that they could, in turn, recruit the best players to their universities.  Once at the school, coaches would then direct those players to sign endorsement deals with those sneaker companies and to sign exclusive representation contracts with those sports agents once the player turned pro. In the end, the college would receive the best player, the player would be paid money he and his family likely needed, the sneaker company would receive an early promise for an endorsement deal, and a sports agent would have a pro player-in-waiting. Everybody wins!

Here is a list of names who have been indicted as a result of the federal investigation:

James Gatto, head of global sports marketing for basketball, Adidas; Chuck Person, former NBA player and assistant basketball coach, Auburn; Lamont Evans, assistant basketball coach, Oklahoma State; Emanuel Richardson, assistant basketball coach, Arizona; Tony Bland, assistant basketball coach, USC; Christian Dawkins, former sports agent, ASM; Munish Sood, founder and chief investment officer of Princeton Advisory Group; Brad Augustine, program director, 1 Family Hoops.

However, the biggest name in the NCAA scandal is University of Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino.

Pitino, who is the highest paid coach in basketball, made nearly $7.8 million during the 2016-17 season. He has coached at the collegiate level at Boston University, Providence College, The University of Kentucky and Louisville. He also coached the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in the NBA.  During his nearly 30-year coaching career, Pitino won 770 games at the college level, 2 national championships and made 7 Final Fours. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

According to the FBI, the University of Louisville basketball program accepted $100,000 from a company in order to pay the family of an unnamed player to secure his commitment to the school.

As a result of the investigation, the University of Louisville has placed both Coach Pitino and Athletic director Tom Jurich on paid administrative leave, which effectively means they were both fired.  Reports are that Coach Pitino specifically has a clause in his contract which requires he be given 10 days’ prior notice and “an opportunity to be heard” before being let go, so the administrative leave is only a precursor to him being formally fired 10 days from now.

“I’m more angry than embarrassed,” Louisville interim president Greg Postel said in reaction to the federal bribery investigation. “We will be looking for someone with integrity. There’s no reason this team can’t have a good season.

“It is vital for this university to strictly adhere to the NCAA rules and of course federal law. Failure to do that would be a tacit endorsement of criminal behavior,” he added.

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Interestingly, the NCAA scandal is nothing new.  In fact, colleges have been paying recruits under the table for years.  This time, they got caught.  So, what’s the big deal?

NCAA coaches and their staff members are paid millions of dollars for their services.  Universities receive millions of dollars in revenue from television rights and endorsements.  So, why are players expected to play the lucrative sport for free?

NBA player Michael Beasley, who was selected 2nd overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the Miami Heat, weighed in on Wednesday, saying this type of NCAA scandal wouldn’t exist if the legislative body did the right thing and simply paid the basketball players their worth like everybody else.

Beasley, who recently joined the New York Knicks, said that although he helped put Kansas State on the map during its run to the NCAA Tournament and helped the city prosper, he never received a dime as a freshman hoops sensation, who averaged 26.2 points and 11.4 rebounds.

“I went to a small school in Manhattan, Kansas, nobody ever heard of in 25 years [regarding basketball],’’ Beasley said. “The city of Manhattan has [since] multiplied by five or six. Should I be compensated? [They] sell my jerseys — and not just mine,” he added.

“We bring a lot to these schools,’’ Beasley continued. “We can’t even park in front of the arenas before games. They still make us as freshmen park two parking lots away from the dorm rooms when it’s freezing cold. Should guys be compensated for their work? Yes. Most of us don’t make it to this level. I do think guys should be getting paid. The NCAA is making billions, not just off basketball — football, soccer.’’

Beasley has a valid point.

EVERYONE is being paid huge salaries in NCAA basketball — except the players — who are the true stars of the show.  However, the players ARE being paid — just creatively and under the table.  Schools are offering to pay off a family’s mortgage, or gift a recruit with a brand new car (via a relative instead of the college), or hand them a wad of cash, just to get them to play for their basketball program.

As is the case with the sale of marijuana… if the powers that be simply stopped pretending it wasn’t happening and made it legal, we’d all be better off.  Well, the same goes for NCAA basketball players not being paid their worth.

In light of the Louisville scandal and the downfall of a Hall of Fame coach, perhaps the time is right to bring the longstanding practice of paying college recruits into the light and into the 21st century.  Make it legal to pay these players their due, so that no one else’s career is ruined for paying under the table like everyone else has been doing for dozens of years!

OK WASSUP! discusses Sports News:
Is it time to legally pay NCAA players?