The injury that ended Tyrone Prothro's career was gruesome. I thought about that today as I sat in Full Moon BBQ eating a slab of ribs for the 4th of July. On the wall, there was a series of photos showing the great catch Prothro made against Southern Mississippi. You know the one.
It made me think of how many times that image has been reproduced for profit and how a great college player never saw any of the money. Some would say he got a free education and I agree that he got one of the best available. Is that enough?
Every product that carries the logo of the University must be approved by the licensing office and royalties are paid to the school. What would be wrong with putting back a percentage of each of those dollars and dividing the gains among the players who graduate each year?
I have no idea what it would take to get such a thing approved by the NCAA or if anyone would be willing to try. However, it could serve as an incentive to get an education because I would limit it only to players who graduate within the allotted five year time of their scholarships. If a player leaves early to go pro, they get nothing. If they are dismissed from the team or transfer, they get nothing. The only exception would be for a player whose career ends due to injury.
Maybe it would work if someone smarter than me could hammer out a plan and get it approved. Maybe I am just ready for the season to begin and wanted to talk a little football. What do you think?
2 comments:
I think that is an awesome idea, that would seemingly jump most of the NCAA obstacles. So who can make it happen, could it be done school by school, or would it be implemented at the conference level? Once one conference made this a policy, others would be forced to join suit because of the competitive disadvantage in terms of recruiting for those who opt out.
If I print something with an asterisk on it, do I have to pay aubarn a licensing fee?
Post a Comment