When people think about college football they think about the Saturday afternoons and nights, the tailgating, the packed stadiums on the major college campuses like Penn State, Texas A&M and Alabama. One thing they sometimes overlook is the recruiting process and one big thing that has surfaced lately is the violations that come with it.
Bryan and Ryan discuss whether recruits should be allowed to receive gifts from colleges in turn for their commitment to attend that school.
Ryan:
I think that there should be a line between what players can and cannot receive. For one, I think that if a coach or recruiter takes a prospect out for lunch that the recruiter should be allowed to buy that prospect’s lunch without penalty. Small things like that should be OK.
When it comes to receiving cars, electronics and cash for an autograph is where I think the line needs to be drawn. For example Johnny Manziel, if the allegations were true that he received money for his autograph, he should have been disciplined heavily.
When it comes to the little things I think there should be some leeway. If these colleges really want these players to attend their schools, they are going to do whatever they need to do to get them. I am not saying that they should be allowed to do whatever it is that they want, but some leeway should be given.
These kids work their tail off to try and get to college — they should be rewarded in some way, but there should be a line that recruiters cannot cross. If the NCAA can find that line recruiting would go a lot smoother and players could stay out of the negative media spot light and play the game they were recruited to play-.
Bryan:
The rules are the rules. Recruiting rules have been set up by the NCAA, and the teams have to follow them. Unfortunately some of these guidelines are very strict, but I believe it is the way it has to be to maintain order within the recruiting system of the NCAA.
If the NCAA were to set up a boundary that teams were not allowed to cross, it is unfortunate, but teams would still cross it. Teams are violating the recruitment guidelines today, even with the rules being as strict as they are.
Colleges will always want to bring the best players to their school, and may take some liberty in doing so, but I don’t think there should be any leeway for teams. The rules are the rules, and teams and players have to follow them. I don’t think it should be too hard for the players.
Going back to the example of Johnny Manziel, there were allegations of gaining profit from his autograph. If these allegations were true, then he should have been punished, but my main question is why even think about jeopardizing a career in college, when you have a level of talent that will take you to the NFL? Last time I checked, you get paid quite a bit of money when you play professional football.
The NCAA does the right thing by strictly enforcing the recruitment rules for players and teams, and I think it is doing the right thing. The focus is on student athletes, not professional athletes. If these players are good enough to make it to the NFL, they will have the opportunity to make a ton of money.
So, is that autograph really worth it? Is that signed jersey really worth it? I think they should enjoy the college education they are most likely not paying for, and enjoy the national spotlight of playing college football, and make the money and get gifts later on in their careers.
Players should worry about football, not all of the media hype that comes with playing such a popular sport.