Coach, you and I often agree about things, but on this issue I need to speak.
As a former Div. I athlete, I find it reprehensible to think that a STUDENT/athlete would be getting paid, much less his family.
By an athlete or his/her family accepting monetary gifts, the athlete is missing the whole point of amateurism. You play a college sport for the love of the sport. If you are a scholarship athlete, you are getting the opportunity of a free education at an esteemed University which will open doors that go far beyond the athletic field.
What the NCAA needs to do is look at so-called elite "academic institutions" that field some of the best sports teams in multiple sports year after year (USC is an example--even had violations in women's tennis). For athletic scholarship athletes, how far is the institution deviating from the academic standards of the institution?
I'm all for giving a kid a chance, but just because a kid can play football at an outstanding level, performs great on the basketball court, etc. does not mean that he should be allowed in the hallowed halls of certain universities.
