Confessions of a Former NFL Agent

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by mooby

Definitely an excellent read, and it shed a lot of insight into the agent's world. The NCAA does need to do something about agent/player interactions like giving them money or other extras though. The fact that some of these guys don't get enough to pay their rent or buy food from their scholarship money says a lot about why they go to agents to get money. I can't blame them for trying to get money if they don't receive enough funds from a scholarship. It's sad that the NCAA makes billions of dollars a year yet can't give athletes enough money to attend school, rent a room, or buy food.

Students making straight A's don't get these scholarships and they don't have pimps to turn too. Last time I check most colleges have dorms and serve food. I don't feel sorry for them because I'm sure of they went to the coach and said I'm out of money and hungry they would get a warm meal. Lets stop making excuses for these guys.

[mooby]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Students making straight A's don't get these scholarships and they don't have pimps to turn too. Last time I check most colleges have dorms and serve food. I don't feel sorry for them because I'm sure of they went to the coach and said I'm out of money and hungry they would get a warm meal. Lets stop making excuses for these guys.

Are you sure about that? I just read a story about a coach in high school that got fired for taking her players out to kareoke and letting them spend the night at her house. If a coach in high school can get fired for letting players spend the night at their house, what makes you so sure the NCAA can't do the same?

And for the record scholarships are handed out for things besides athletics. Kids who go to college and don't play sports have their opportunities to get scholarships and grants as well. Did you ever stop and think about that?

[mooby]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Students making straight A's don't get these scholarships and they don't have pimps to turn too. Last time I check most colleges have dorms and serve food. I don't feel sorry for them because I'm sure of they went to the coach and said I'm out of money and hungry they would get a warm meal. Lets stop making excuses for these guys.

Seriously though what's with the attitude? It reeks of jealousy. If you were coming out of high school and you got a scholarship to play football at a D1 school but you never had enough money to pay your rent or buy food I'm pretty damn sure you'd have an entirely different outlook on these kids. You do realize these kids sacrifice their entire bodies in the hopes one day they will be able to make plenty of money in the NFL, all without making a dime off the NCAA's huge profit, right?

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Students making straight A's don't get these scholarships and they don't have pimps to turn too. Last time I check most colleges have dorms and serve food. I don't feel sorry for them because I'm sure of they went to the coach and said I'm out of money and hungry they would get a warm meal. Lets stop making excuses for these guys.

Actually that would be a violation by NCAA rules.

Edit:
Man you just have no concept of what it is like to be one of these guys. Imagine you come from a poor neighborhood, single mom, she has no job, 4 brothers and sisters, the roof leaks, people get shot every other day in the neighborhood and your playing football for a BCS school and will probably get drafted in two years. You're basically on hold for a major payday that can fix all that crap for your family. And you're supposed to trun down easy money? It'll never happen. Once those guys start taking the money then all the other ones who don't need it as much take it. I feel sorry they have to work for free while their schools fund their entire athletic deaprtment off their backs and the NCAA turns a blind eye to the needs of the students it purports to protect.

[freddyg12]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

Actually that would be a violation by NCAA rules.

Edit:
Man you just have no concept of what it is like to be one of these guys. Imagine you come from a poor neighborhood, single mom, she has no job, 4 brothers and sisters, the roof leaks, people get shot every other day in the neighborhood and your playing football for a BCS school and will probably get drafted in two years. You're basically on hold for a major payday that can fix all that crap for your family. And you're supposed to trun down easy money? It'll never happen. Once those guys start taking the money then all the other ones who don't need it as much take it. I feel sorry they have to work for free while their schools fund their entire athletic deaprtment off their backs and the NCAA turns a blind eye to the needs of the students it purports to protect.

Imagine you're that dude and you've earned a 5 year scholarship far removed from the ghetto you grew up in, where there is plenty to eat everyday, a structured environment with coaches & trainers there to imrpove your game, academic advisors to guide you into classes you can handle & tutors that will help you learn whatever you're having trouble with in class.

I know I'm painting the idyllic picture, but it's not as if athletes don't get anything. Most of these guys aren't going pro, so "waiting for a payday" is not an option for them. Their payday is an education that they otherwise couldn't afford.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by freddyg12

Imagine you're that dude and you've earned a 5 year scholarship far removed from the ghetto you grew up in, where there is plenty to eat everyday, a structured environment with coaches & trainers there to imrpove your game, academic advisors to guide you into classes you can handle & tutors that will help you learn whatever you're having trouble with in class.

How does any of this help your single mom raise her other 4 kids back in the hellhole they live in? It's called incentivization and it can't be satisfied with anything that a gollege football program can offer. There will ALWAYS be kids who take the money. Lots of them. And if some take it...well then you know..

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

How does any of this help your single mom raise her other 4 kids back in the hellhole they live in? It's called incentivization and it can't be satisfied with anything that a gollege football program can offer. There will ALWAYS be kids who take the money. Lots of them. And if some take it...well then you know..

I read 90% of that article and did not see one time where the kid needed the money to send home to his single mom with 4 kids living in a hell hole. You seem to have added that part to this entire article. Its seem like most of the players just used him to get some extra spending money. You also are saying that a college degree cannot change moms problem but even if the kid does not make it to the NFL he now has a degree (unlike allot of other poor kids) to make a good living to help mom.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by firstdown

I read 90% of that article and did not see one time where the kid needed the money to send home to his single mom with 4 kids living in a hell hole. You seem to have added that part to this entire article. Its seem like most of the players just used him to get some extra spending money. You also are saying that a college degree cannot change moms problem but even if the kid does not make it to the NFL he now has a degree (unlike allot of other poor kids) to make a good living to help mom.

You don't read carefully do you? Read the thread, read my posts, tell me where I have even talked about the specific situation in the article. Then when your done doing that and you didn't find it go have a nice drink in the fantasy land you live in where the degree a kid gets in college has any value to these kids. They don't go to college to get a degree, they go to play football. Major college football is the minor leagues for pro ball. That's all it is. Oh, and a revenue generator for the schools.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

You don't read carefully do you? Read the thread, read my posts, tell me where I have even talked about the specific situation in the article. Then when your done doing that and you didn't find it go have a nice drink in the fantasy land you live in where the degree a kid gets in college has any value to these kids. They don't go to college to get a degree, they go to play football. Major college football is the minor leagues for pro ball. That's all it is. Oh, and a revenue generator for the schools.

Ok, you just added those as a side bar but when first read it seemed like you refereed to that article. That was what the thread was about but you added the part of the poor mom with 4 kids. It would actually sound better if she had 5 kids because 2 had been shot walking to school. So you really think none of these kids care about a degree or education? Maybe that true and another reason for me to have a few drinks and stay in my fantasy land. Tonight that fantasy land is actually the Chesapeake Bay chasing striper's (thats a fish).