GP1

There is no doubt the rules were broken. I have no idea whether the players knew or not and that doesn't matter. Let's get back to the Cadillac analogy. Instead of a player being given a car, what if that player agreed to spend three house at the dealership signing autographs? In exchange for the time, the player is given a car. Payment for services rendered is what I call that. Some also call payment for services rendered a "job". Kid signs autographs. Dealership advertises to all jock sniffers in Columbus that Jock X is going to be signing autographs at dealership. A certain number of jock sniffers buy car from dealership as a result of trip to dealership to sniff jock. Jock gets car for service. Dealership sells more cars as a result of advertising cost (car to jock). Jock sniffers get to sniff jock and some buy new car. Everyone wins and nothing illegal has taken place. God bless America.

Because you would ahve boosters paying out exhobbitant amounts of money for crap. Kid needs some spending money? Sell your used gum wrapper for $5k. Want a new car? Have a booster buy your old pair of shoes for $15k. This is why players can't sell things. It would devolve into stupidity. Stupidity is not illegal. People buy all sorts of things that I consider stupid, but the person buying it feels it is worth the money. It isn't up to you or me to decide what is or isn't worth buying and then tell someone they can't sell it because someone else is stupid for buying it. If a jock sniffer wants to buy a stupid pair of gold pants for $10,000, then who are we to say he can't. There is value in it to that person.

How do you know it isn't about helping their families for some of them? I agree it is all about money. The only people not making the money they deserve are the people doing the actual work that makes the schools the money. I don't think paying players will bring the NCAA down, and if that did happen, why would that be a bad thing? The NCAA needs to reform itself. The answer is not the schools paying the players. The answer is allowing the players to go out and earn money while on scholarship. What is wrong with a player selling his jersey or a ring or some stupid pair of gold pants to some jock sniffer who is stupid enough to pay for them? To me, that is the type of entrepreneurial behavior a kid should learn in college.

Take out taxes and you are looking at around $2,300. Remember, this is tops on what they could earn if you take into consideration max 30 hours and a relatively high paying job for a non-skilled employee at $8.00 per hour. That's only at best around $44 per week. One needs a car to get to work, etc.? The average price of gas is $3.00 per gal. Basically, the kid is paying to fill his car up to go to work. If these amounts of money were acceptable, players would never leave early to go professional or sell what they have. They would stay in college and live high off the hog on their $44 per week. I also believe the players when they say they wanted to help their families. It all goes back to my main point about the life a lot of college players come from and how a lot of fans really don't understand how bad it is. Like it or not, a lot of the player have children that need food, etc. They love their families and are not going to abandon them when the family needs money. I would hope none of us would abandon our families. A guy can't go out and get a job to help support his family? That is just wrong. The rules were put in place years ago and need to be changed to accommodate the change in society. What the players at tOSU are guilty of is breaking a lot of really stupid rules.

It is against NCAA rules. Proposition 62 has allowed student-athletes to work during the school year since 1998. Furthermore, they have been allowed to work in the summer. "The new Proposition 62 goes into effect on August 1998. It should be made clear that without it, players had the ability to work in the summer which some people may argue was enough. " True. However, you said it was not against the rules to get a job. It is during the school year. It is not reasonable for a student athlete to hold a 40 hour a week job down during the summer. Between summer classes and workouts, their time is restricted. I figure at most a student athlete could work 30 hours a week during the summer. 12 weeks x 30 hours = 360 hours. They could probably get a job paying around $8 per hour at best. 360 hours x $8/hour = $2,880 at best. Take taxes out of that and it isn't much money. They could do much better on the autograph tour or public appearance tour.

Strange.

These players are going to play because there is huge money involved in BCS games. If tOSU was in the Outback Bowl, the guys wouldn't play. The Sugar Bowl is the only game on TV at that time. There are huge commercial deals sold for these games. The NCAA and BCS does not want Arkansas to have a 21 point spread at half and lose half the TV audience. Add this to the many reasons college is about money and not the BS the NCAA spouts off. No go out Pryor, et al and earn some more money for the the NCAA, your schools and the BCS, but you can't have any. There is something really, really wrong and unjust with big time colllege football.

Part of findings of the NCAA was tOSU did not provide enough compliance education. At that point, is it the players fault or the schools fault? I like to take a person at his word. These players said they did not know what they were doing was a violation against NCAA rules. That doesn't make them innocent, it makes them poorly informed and not stupid. I actually believe they didn't know. There are entirely too many NCAA rules and it has turned everyone into a violator of the rules. I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that every school in the country has at least one player on it who is watching this news and is worried about something he sold. It is moronic that these guys can't sell their gold pants for example. They freaking own them and should be allowed to do whatever they want with them. Same with the Big Ten Championship rings. If there is some jock sniffer out there stupid enough to buy one of these items, then so be it.

Tressel still has knee pain from his recruiting of Pryor.

I have several...... That concludes my comments.

I have no problems with it at all as long as the money is earned legally and the players live up to their obligations to the university. You and I have the same right to earn money. I think it would be good for college football to get all of the money above the table. This story about tOSU is terrible for college football and there are stories just like this at other institutions waiting to come out. They are adults and should be treated as such.

Each day, there are students on full scholarships that are not athletic related. They can go out and get a job. As long as they maintain the standards set to continue to receive the scholarship, they are free to do what they want to do. Why can't we do that with student athletes? If they maintain the academic standards to remain eligible and they do what their coaches want them to do on the field, why can't they legally earn money just the same as every other scholarship recipient? If they are in violation of their academic standards or what the coaches want them to do, they can lose their ability to play on the team. They are college age kids, not slaves.

It is against NCAA rules.

If two people come together, agree on something and it is not illegal, what is wrong with the transaction? There is no crime. The transaction will have no impact on the performance of the athlete on the field. Just because a person may be personally offended by it, doesn't make it wrong. Here is the question. The ncaa allows players to accept cars in exchange for autographs. You go watch the Zips play football knowing they took the cars. How does that impact your view of the football game? I would contend it doesn't...especially if the Zips were winning. People like to get on their high horses about money and college sports. That's all BS. Go to a big time college football game and look around. It's all about money. Booster clubs, $100,000 RVS, at South Carolina there is a condo complex across the street from the stadium where rich alumni spend $500K on a condo to stay at for football games and they sit empty the rest of the year, the millions they make on ticket sales, coaches salaries, the scramble to get into a BCS Bowl Game, etc. It's all about money.

If Tressel has an ounce of dignity left after the recruiting process of Pryor, he would suspend all of them for the Sugar Bowl. He would quickly find out which one of them wanted to be there and which didn't.

BINGO!!!!! This is really the problem with what TPryor did. He earned income....Did he report the income to the IRS? The problem with players taking large sums of money under the table or selling things is it is unreported income and ILLEGAL not to report it. Let's get the money in the open where we don't make criminals out of college athletes. I more meant "illegal" not in its literal sense, but rather in violation of NCAA rules, but you do raise an interesting point about the unreported income aspect of all of this. Of course my point is interesting. Just like the Dos Equis Man, the Great GP1 is the most interesting man at every party I've never been to. Seriously though...People talk about the NCAA like it is the government. It's just an association of universities. I have no idea what student-athlete handbooks say these days or what is presented at compliance lectures, but I'd be willing to bet the NCAA does not address potential legal issues with accepting money under the table. I have heard that Cam Newton's dad is under investigation by the FBI. He should be under investigation by the IRS. The guy took $200,000 and didn't report the income. I'm not a tax accountant, but my guess is not reporting $200,000 is a pretty serious infraction.

BINGO!!!!! This is really the problem with what TPryor did. He earned income....Did he report the income to the IRS? The problem with players taking large sums of money under the table or selling things is it is unreported income and ILLEGAL not to report it. Let's get the money in the open where we don't make criminals out of college athletes.

What if he has no access to any money? Have you ever not had a dime to your name and no chance to go out and make any? I'm not saying that is the case with him, but there are guys playing college football around the country who grew up in shacks and have zero money. Universities are making millions off of these players and they don't have enough money to take a girl out on a date. There is something wrong with that in my mind. Sure, and it was usually because I just had to pay my tuition costs. That's my point, these athletes have most of their expenses paid and yet still can't come up with some pocket change when they need it. They are eligible for student loans too if that is what they need. You're right, universities make a lot of money off them but they do get benefits in return (sometimes over $100,000 worth of scholarship money. Not exactly peanuts). I just don't like seeing revenue sports get treated differently than non-revenue sports, should we eradicate all of the other sports? Those folks might need money too. And why are any of them treated differently than the rest of the of the student population? They could probably use some pocket change too. I'm not sure why an athlete should go into debt while in college if he can make a legal income while in college. A player should be free to go out and EARN money while in school. For example, if earning money for an ex-jock includes going to autograph signing sessions, then a college athlete should be able to earn a living in the same way. There is no money exchanged between the University and player at that point. The player is doing nothing illegal. The player is offering a legal service another person is willing to pay for. That is free enterprise and a player should be able to take part in the free enterprise system in this country. As long as a player is earning a legal living and in compliance with NCAA academic standards, there is no reason to not allow it.

Good point! USC had the same trouble. If you self report and punish yourself, the NCAA does not come down like this. USC told the NCAA to go pound salt and the NCAA pounded them. We see the same thing here.

What if he has no access to any money? Have you ever not had a dime to your name and no chance to go out and make any? I'm not saying that is the case with him, but there are guys playing college football around the country who grew up in shacks and have zero money. Universities are making millions off of these players and they don't have enough money to take a girl out on a date. There is something wrong with that in my mind.

Maybe he needs the money.

No, public transportation programs are things that move people. Trains, bus, subway, etc. These programs lose money everywhere other than New York City.

How is a rail system like this an investment in the state? How does it make Ohio more competitive in the global market? It all sounds good when you say it and type it, but does it really do these things. Only one public transportation system in the United States turns a profit, New York City. Every other transit system loses money and is basically a welfare program.

Good interview DrZ. You missed the main question though. Is Marisa Tomei as hot in person as she looks on the screen?

I agree. You just described almost every MAC school. Unfortunately, we are in somewhat of the same position Can't is in. The trouble with Akron is gaining that one winning season as well, and not a 6-6 record. Akron is in a good postion to turn things around if they could just turn a bunch of guys who don't believe they can win into a group of guys who believe they can win. There's a lot more to that, but in general, there is more up-side at Akron than any other floundering MAC school.