Oh look, the NCAA looks stupid again.
NCAA executive vice president of regulatory affairs Oliver Luck spoke at the Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in New York City on Thursday when the topic of paying student-athletes came up.
OK. Before we spew off a long rant about this absurdity, we can all just agree that this is dumb, right? The large majority of student-athletes are 18 or older, which legally defines them as adults. Plus, minors are allowed to work for wages and at least have to be paid minimum page. So at its very core, this is literally the dumbest thing the NCAA has said.
It seems ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas agrees.
Alabama.com caught up with Luck and basically asked if he was that stupid.
“I probably misspoke some,” Luck told them. “It doesn’t have to do with age, necessarily. When you’re 18, you are an adult. There are certain things you’re not allowed to do. But by in large, you can do other things in life. It’s more about the relationship that historically existed on campuses and that relationship that university has with a coach or a professor or staff person is different than it has been with a student. I think if we change that relationship, we’ll have lost our way because traditionally, that’s the way.
“I may have put too much emphasis on the adult versus an 18-year-old because they’re both adults technically. Although there are some limitations on what 18- or 19-year or 20-year-old can do.”
Either way, the comments give an inside look at how NCAA executives see the issue: college athletes are exploitable, replaceable assets that don’t deserve compensation.
Meanwhile, people like Luck sit on their piles of money and laugh, spitting nonsense at every turn.
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
