Rick Telander a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and a former Northwestern Wildcat football player who had a cup of coffee in the NFL. Rick is the guy who has gotten me to think about college players not getting paid. Here's something he wrote a couple of days ago.
◆ MONEY TIME.
How much do you think new Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby made in his first 6 1/2 months on the job?
If you said $1.5 million, you know your amateur sports!
◆ HOW MUCH did the Southeastern Conference rake in during the fiscal year ending last Aug. 31?
Did you say $314 million?
Excellent!
◆ HOW MUCH does Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer make? Alabama's Nick Saban? Arkansas' Bret Bielema?
You say $4.6 million, $5.6 million and $5.2 million? Very good.
And how much will Texas be paying for new coach Charlie Strong, counting salary and buyout from Louisville, from whence Strong bolted with barely a goodbye? Yes, $9.4 million. With the possibility for Strong to get a $900,000 bonus this year.
Remember, college players get paid nothing.
◆ HOW MUCH DO NFL head coaches such as the Oakland Raiders' Dennis Allen, the Buffalo Bills' Doug Marrone, the Minnesota Vikings' Mike Zimmer, the Cleveland Browns' Mike Pettine and certain others make? Generally in the $2.5 million-to-$3.5 million range.
◆ CONCLUSION: Why coach in the NFL when you can get rich with free labor in the NCAA?
Hey, nobody tells kids that they have to play "amateur" sports in college, right?
While I'm up on the bully pulpit reposting Telander's stuff, I guess I should include this tidbit he also included about life as a football player at Iowa.
◆ A LOT OF THINGS we guys do in sports workouts are dumb.
The combination of machismo and desire plus bad or nonexistent science has always been a dangerous mix. Think testosterone and gunpowder.
Add an ignorant coach and/or trainer pushing hard, and you've got ka-boom.
Thus it is that former Iowa cornerback William Lowe is suing the school for damage caused to him because of a ridiculously stupid offseason football workout in 2011 that caused him and 12 teammates to be hospitalized with exertional rhabdomyolisis.
''Rhabdo,'' as it is known in the workout world, is a dangerous condition caused by muscles breaking down and releasing proteins into the bloodstream, a poisoning which can cause kidney failure. To get rhabdo, you basically need to lift weights or do exercises to such an extreme that you start to destroy your muscles. Your urine turns dark, your muscles swell, hurt like crazy, and you can barely move the affected area.
The Iowa players were ordered to do 100 squats with weights equaling half their maximum single lift to see how tough they were and, according to the school's own investigative report, to see who ''wanted to be on the team.''
Lowe was in the hospital for a week, and he claims he still suffers physical and mental pain that has required ongoing medical care, drugs and therapy. The other players affected aren't part of this suit, but you can bet they're watching.
Just a reminder, folks: Football coaches have more power than you can imagine over the young men in their charge. Often these coaches are certified by no one. Sometimes they're sadists. Yet they can have your life in their hands.
Remember that the next time you wonder why a high school or college football player did something that seemed self-destructive on the field or in the workout room.
And pray there's a guardian angel looking out for the kid.
Article Link: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/27474883-606/telander-chilling-to-consider-an-nfl-player-with-a-body-count.html#.U3uQK_ldWSo (http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/27474883-606/telander-chilling-to-consider-an-nfl-player-with-a-body-count.html#.U3uQK_ldWSo)
Telander's bio: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/telander/2354608-419/sports-telander-books-columnist-national.html#.U3uRovldWSo (http://www.suntimes.com/sports/telander/2354608-419/sports-telander-books-columnist-national.html#.U3uRovldWSo)
TAMU has been keeping a close eye on the Iowa case. It's obviously an extreme case but if the lawsuit holds up, it could open to door for all sorts of legal issues.
Quote from: windyplayer on May 20, 2014, 02:50:58 PM
That 100-squat "challenge" made me squirmy. Horrible.
I mean there are borderline-hazing ways to test guys commitment and willingness to go through pain (Sprints, endurance runs, long practices), but this is just stupid and begging you to injure your players in a senseless way.
How many would be accepted to college if required to meet academic standards non athletes have ?-(
Had 3 in my classes in early 70's, 1 showed up 1st class, never saw him again. 1 was on roll call ,never there. last one showed up once a week and slept in back of class with his legs in the aisle. I wish I could have done that and graduated!
Quote from: mu72warrior on May 20, 2014, 06:04:18 PM
Had 3 in my classes in early 70's, 1 showed up 1st class, never saw him again. 1 was on roll call ,never there. last one showed up once a week and slept in back of class with his legs in the aisle. I wish I could have done that and graduated!
I'm happy to inform that things have changed. I had several players in my classes from 07-11. None of them were huge talkers, but they came to class every day (except when games conflicted) and contributed to group projects.