Link: Richard Sherman/Michael Bennett call out NCAA "scam".

[Bamabuzzard]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/12249290/richard-sherman-michael-bennett-seattle-seahawks-bash-ncaa

"Show me how you're going to get all your work done when you get out [of practice and meetings] at 7:30 or so and have a test the next day and you're dead tired from practice and you still have to study and get the same work done."

I too wonder how they are getting it done and still coming out with honors? Are these guys really "that" smart?

 

[Jon]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/12249290/richard-sherman-michael-bennett-seattle-seahawks-bash-ncaa




I too wonder how they are getting it done and still coming out with honors? Are these guys really "that" smart?

Sherman graduated with Honors at Stanford. Yes, he is that smart.

 

[IH8Orange]

Sherman graduated with Honors at Stanford. Yes, he is that smart.

He may be smart, but he doesn't portray himself in the best light. I wish someone would shut up that big mouth of his.

 

[Redwood Forrest]

Well that sure will open up a can of worms. Tell me Mr's Bennet and Sherman, if you had it so bad, why didn't you just quit football and go as one of those regular students who have it made?

Of course there are schools who could care less about the players ~ how do I spell FSU ~ but it still all comes down to whether a player wants to pass his courses or not. If it is that bad a deal, why do athletes sign the dotted line? They don't know what kind of lousy, rotten deal they will get? Huh. All recruits know player and players who have left. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE GETTING INTO.

Listen, why don't you whine and moan about Nick Saban making a lot of money, like that has anything to do with your passing or not passing.

I only read one valid point and that was practice time. Maybe I am wrong, but I thought schools provided tutors for just that reason?

 

[CrimsonForce]

Yea I have no idea how players graduate in 3 years. You would have to take 5 classes year around (fall,summer, and spring semesters) to graduate in 3 years. 5 classes * 3 hours per class * 3 semesters per year = 135 hours. Most colleges require 128 hours for a bachelors degree. Just doesn't seem feasible to take 5 classes year around for 3 years while also being a full time football player without having some impermissible help..

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Yea I have no idea how players graduate in 3 years. You would have to take 5 classes year around (fall,summer, and spring semesters) to graduate in 3 years. 5 classes * 3 hours per class * 3 semesters per year = 135 hours. Most colleges require 128 hours for a bachelors degree. Just doesn't seem feasible to take 5 classes year around for 3 years while also being a full time football player without having some impermissible help..

They have tutors.

 

[Catfish]

"I think the NCAA is one of the biggest scams in America," Bennett said. "These kids put so much on the line. They [the NCAA] say, 'We give you a free degree.' That's like me owning a restaurant and saying, 'I'll give you a free burger.' It makes me so mad and irate. Universities need to do more for the student-[athletes].''

Completely ridiculous analogy.

"I would love for a regular student, for just one semester, to have a student-athlete schedule during the season and show me how you balance that. Show me how you would schedule your classes when you can't schedule classes for 2 to 6 o'clock on any given day.

Who takes classes between 2 and 6 PM? Other than labs, I don't think they even HAD classes during that time when I was in school.

"I think the NCAA should come up with a plan for college athletes to receive some of the money they bring into the schools. My school, Texas A&M, I think makes $50 million just on jersey sales. So I would say pay $60,000 [to student-athletes] for every year you stay in college. Keep that in a 401(k). After you graduate, hold that money until you are a certain age and then you get the money."

LOL! It's possible that $50M worth of A&M jerseys are sold each year, but I doubt it. But, there's no way A&M makes $50M just on jersey sales. Bennett's pulling numbers out of his rear.

 

[Chukker Veteran]

The single most shocking example of a coach exploiting a player in my opinion was when Fran had the injured kicker playing so Fran could get a better job at another school.

 

[gtgilbert]

Well that sure will open up a can of worms. Tell me Mr's Bennet and Sherman, if you had it so bad, why didn't you just quit football and go as one of those regular students who have it made?

Of course there are schools who could care less about the players ~ how do I spell FSU ~ but it still all comes down to whether a player wants to pass his courses or not. If it is that bad a deal, why do athletes sign the dotted line? They don't know what kind of lousy, rotten deal they will get? Huh. All recruits know player and players who have left. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE GETTING INTO.

Listen, why don't you whine and moan about Nick Saban making a lot of money, like that has anything to do with your passing or not passing.

I only read one valid point and that was practice time. Maybe I am wrong, but I thought schools provided tutors for just that reason?

I see what you are saying and agree that all these kids know what they are getting into. that said, I don't think what they were talking about is really a wo-is-me type statement. They didn't express it well, or the writer didn't put their quotes in the right context but I do think they have a point.

Yes, these kids get free room and board and educational expenses. They get a great opportunity. No doubt about that.

however, they certainly EARN it with the amount of time they put in. The NCAA mandates max practice time, but often that doesn't include meetings, workouts etc. All said and done, if you look at the hours these kids put versus the cost of their education they are probably getting something close to minimum wage for every hour they put in (unless it's at a super expensive school like stanford).

I think Shermans point was that the average student really doesn't understand how hard these guys work for what they get, AND that most average students wouldn't be able to handle the schedule so that when some average student (or fan for that matter) is complaining about how great it is for a student athlete, they probably don't really know the full picture, and wouldn't be able to live that life themselves...

 

[Crimsissippi]

Some of what they are saying isn't completely ridiculous. As a current college student, I would have to agree with him when he is talking about regular student schedule vs. athlete. I know personally that some classes you have to take for your major are not even offered BEFORE 2 pm or whenever depending on the teacher. I am friends with some of the football players here and had a class or two with them, and I can vouch for them in saying they literally have nothing outside of class and football. They wake up at 5:30 every morning, report to a team workout/treatment lasting until around 7:45, giving them just enough time to eat and shower before their 8 am class. They then have back to back to back class from 8 to about 2-2:30ish when they have to report to film/position meetings/pre-practice prep (getting treatment/taped, what have you), begin practice at about 3:30-4 depending on the day, end at around 6:30-7 depending, then have post practice treatment, eat, shower etc. By the time they can leave the facility its close to 8:30 or 9 o'clock. The average college class is supposed to require at least 2 hours of outside the classroom work to get a good grade. Now Im not saying it does, because I don't spend that much time and I still make A's and B's, but its tough. I get out of class at 3:45 and have time between then and dinner to get most of my work done and its tough. I can only imagine having to do all they have during the day only to get out at 9 o'clock and have a good couple hours of school work for each class (minimum for full time student is 12 hours, so 4 classes each needing an hour or two of work a piece) and still having to get to bed in enough time to wake up at 5:30 and repeat. Im not saying its impossible, and yes that is what it takes to succeed at the highest level here in the SEC, but he has a VERY good point in what he is saying. Thats just my opinion from where I see it on campus.

 

[bamabelle1991]

All I have to add here is that I love Richard Sherman.

 

[81usaf92]

Richard Sherman is really smart, and I think he is probably a different person when the camera is off of him. I really think he enjoys being a villain ever since the "u mad bro" thing with Brady. I really think he doesn't want to be portrayed like Revis in that he is just a great corner. I think he wants people to think he is the best corner, and he has done a great job of doing that since Revis is a quite person compared to sherman. Sherman knows what he is doing.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Richard Sherman is really smart, and I think he is probably a different person when the camera is off of him. I really think he enjoys being a villain ever since the "u mad bro" thing with Brady. I really think he doesn't want to be portrayed like Revis in that he is just a great corner. I think he wants people to think he is the best corner, and he has done a great job of doing that since Revis is a quite person compared to sherman. Sherman knows what he is doing.

Sherman reminds me of a guy that I used to play pickup basketball with and against back in my single days. This dude was an absolute beast on the court and part of his "game" was talking and talking a lot. The jawing and trash talking served two purposes. One, to get the other guy out of his game. The second was to motivate him. For him to play at his optimal level he HAD to play this way. Off the court he was extremely "cool" to be around, a very nice and intelligent person. But when he was in game mode he was a totally different person. The only problem with this is a lot of people could not separate this on the court persona with who he was off the court. And understandably so. So when the games were over and we'd all stopped playing and just started hanging out. There would always be one or more who'd be ticked off at him and he'd have to explain to them it wasn't personal. That's hard to separate.

I think Sherman is like this. He's not capable of just shutting up and playing. He has to have some form of motivation, some established "enemy" to defeat. So he creates them. To me that is a sign of weakness in and of itself but so be it. He gets the job done.

 

[TIDE24]

I am really tired of the argument about paying players. Yes student athletes put in an incredible amount of time and work. It takes a huge amount of dedication and in football and basketball their talent brings in a ton of money.

In return, they get an opportunity to earn a college degree and in many cases a masters degree. Room and food is paid for. In many cases they have their own dietitian. All the athletic shoes, shorts, shirts, jackets, hoodies, etc. they want. Personal tutors to help them with their classes and people to push them along. They have everything they need to help them succeed in the classroom. The facilities and surroundings are usually the best on campus. AND it they are truly "in need' they qualify for pell grant money. That is cash in their pocket.

They like to compare themselves to other students about how much time they spend on their sport. Many students work very hard to put themselves through school. They do not have the personal tutors in the state of the art study halls. Many can't go to summer school because they have to work to pay for next semester.

The price to be a student athlete is very high, but lets not believe these are poor college kids looking for their next meal for their efforts. They are provided for very well.

 

[Al A Bama]

I see what you are saying and agree that all these kids know what they are getting into. that said, I don't think what they were talking about is really a wo-is-me type statement. They didn't express it well, or the writer didn't put their quotes in the right context but I do think they have a point.

Yes, these kids get free room and board and educational expenses. They get a great opportunity. No doubt about that.

however, they certainly EARN it with the amount of time they put in. The NCAA mandates max practice time, but often that doesn't include meetings, workouts etc. All said and done, if you look at the hours these kids put versus the cost of their education they are probably getting something close to minimum wage for every hour they put in (unless it's at a super expensive school like stanford).

I think Shermans point was that the average student really doesn't understand how hard these guys work for what they get, AND that most average students wouldn't be able to handle the schedule so that when some average student (or fan for that matter) is complaining about how great it is for a student athlete, they probably don't really know the full picture, and wouldn't be able to live that life themselves...

How great is it for a student who has to have a job while enrolled at a university. It could be harder than for any athlete.

I'll bet that student working would love to have all the goodies that athletes get.

 

[Go Bama]

School is tough for everyone. The students I associated with lived in the dorms, had no TV or cars, ate with meal plans, and had to study hard. On Sunday's I'd eat at Morrison's or Krystal depending on whether I had 3$ or $2. Entertainment was all sports and concerts which were dirt cheap or less.

I don't mind if the athletes get some money but Sherman/Bennett make it sound like the everyday students have it made. Unless things have changed a lot, that just isn't the case.

 

[AlexanderFan]

It's simple...don't play football. The majority if these guys play football with the intent to make millions in the nfl. End of story. All they are trying to do is smooth a rough road.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

 

[gtgilbert]

How great is it for a student who has to have a job while enrolled at a university. It could be harder than for any athlete.

I'll bet that student working would love to have all the goodies that athletes get.

How about a student who has to have three jobs?

that's what I did through most of graduate school. I averaged a little under 40 hours a week working and had to do it as multiple part time jobs to work around my class schedule which in grad school was not flexible. During summer when school was out I did 60 hrs/week to build up some reserve funds for the year - something a football player really can't do because of 'voluntary' summer workouts. Trust me, I know how hard it can be and how much time is required to self fund school. The guys in our grad program I knew on the football team were putting in as much or more time into football as I was via jobs and honestly I think I had it a little easier than them. I was still able to maintain a little free time and social/activity time - they pretty much couldn't during the season or during spring ball either. They had some time spring semester, but even then they had a lot of time dedicated to the S&C program or 'voluntary' workouts and drills.

As for their 'goodies' - sure it's a perk, but would you really want to only have athletic clothes like warm ups to wear all the time? Couple of the players I knew would 'trade' some of their goodies with friends so they could have a pair of jeans and a couple of decent polo shirts (probably an NCAA violation, but it's all they had to work with).

that said, there are certainly worse things in the world than being a college athlete. It is a great opportunity for a lot of guys. It's just not the panacea of gold lined streets some people make it out to be. It's hard, very hard. That's especially true for the players who are actually taking advantage of the educational opportunity in front of them and trying to get a meaningful degree.

 

[GreatDanish]

I don't know any of the context here - but why was it brought up? I'm guessing they didn't just decide to go on a rant. I'm assuming some reporter asked them about it. Of course, during Super Bowl week, why not bait Sherman into talking about a controversial topic like this? I mean, Sherman's degree was in Communications at Stanford, right? He knows what and how he is communicating.

 

[2003TIDE]

The biggest scam is the NFL getting a free D league from the NCAA. If players are going to get paid, the NFL should have to help foot the bill. Otherwise they should fork over the money to start their own D league. Then, problem solved.