NFL star Adrian Peterson says we should pay student athletes.
Sorry, Adrian – we already are!
What people don't seem to understand is that scholarship athletes don't have to pay for tuition, room and board, books, tutors or other living expenses.
Any major college athlete (I'm not talking lacrosse here) has access to funds handed to them under the table — in the guise of "laundry money" — at least that was the vernacular that was used 40 years ago when I had a football-playing roommate.
You're treated as a god for up to four years (not to mention the recruiting trip – where you're treated as god-plus)
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Adrian, perhaps we could pay college athletes, but then have them pay their college expenses with that money.
Understand that we're talking football and basketball here (the other sports don't really matter, moneywise). For athletes who don't live up to expectations (and plenty don't), then we cut, or eliminate, their salaries. That's how it works in the professional world. How many of the former scholar/athletes would then stay the course?
My point is that if these guys are unhappy with the scholarship arrangement, they don't have to take it. No one is forcing them to accept a free education that, depending on the school, could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
John Davenport
Rochester
