Amidst all of the scandals happening in college basketball, it’s only fitting that John Calipari gives his opinion on the matter.
When asked about the situation after practice on Tuesday, here’s what Cal told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein:
"Players should be allowed representation just like they have in baseball. "They don’t need a new model because there’s already a model in place. That’s what they do in baseball. Players should be able to earn income because of their name, their signature, and their likeness. If a uniform is sold with a player’s name on it, the player should get a percentage on it. If they want to go out and sign autographs, let them sign autographs. The money should be deferred. They should be able to sign a shoe contract too, but the money should be deferred unless it’s used by the parents of the player for transportation or expenses to come and see the kid’s play. They’re not professionals if that happens and it probably eliminates a lot of stuff."
Cal’s never afraid to stir up some controversy. Not only does he refer back to the scandal, but he takes it a step further and declares that players should get paid. We all know how long this conversation has been going on, and Cal’s comments might bring some attention back to it.
Overall, I think having the players represented by someone is a great idea. I’ve always been a fan of how the college baseball process works. Just like Cal said, it makes sense. These kids are extremely vulnerable, and they need someone professional and trustworthy to help them through the entire process.
When talking about players getting paid, that’s just a whole other monster in itself. There are so many problems that can develop within the broad scheme of college sports, and I’m not sure it’s worth opening pandora’s box.
Cal also mentioned that it’s necessary for coaches to be trained early on how to actually be coaches. He talks about his experience as a Grad Assistant - rebounding for guys, learning in film sessions, and building relationships with players. He explains how doing those things really taught him how to coach, and he feels like learning the basics of coaching like that has been lost.
When Cal brings up a point like this, it’s obvious that he sees how a lot of coaches misguided their players. The players put their trust in a coach just to see the coach turn around and basically hand them off to one of the shoe companies. It’s sad to see some of these coaches caring more about money than the actual student-athlete, which is exactly why the FBI is investigating this entire situation.
Whether people want to accept it or not, college basketball, the game we love, has a dark side to it. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to discover a lot of news as to exactly what that represents. I’m sure we’ll here a lot more from Cal on everything that unfolds too.