College Athletes Petition to Receive Money from NCAA Revenue

More than 300 intercollegiate athletes are petitioning the NCAA to cut them in on the significant revenue gained from TV sports contracts and reform what athletic scholarships currently cover, the Associated Press reports. Athletes from Arizona, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Purdue and UCLA have signed the petition.

The student-athletes want the NCAA to reserve money in a “educational lock box” to increase scholarship benefits, cover educational costs not currently included under NCAA rules, and potentially share the remaining dollars among players after their college careers end.

I really want to voice my opinions,” said Georgia Tech defensive end Denzel McCoy, a redshirt freshman who signed the petition. “The things we go through, the hours we put in, what our bodies go through, we deserve some sort of (results). College football is a billion dollar industry.”

Some critics see the proposals in the petition as equivalent to paying players, well past currently awarding compensation in the form of free or reduced tuition, room and board.

The NCAA opposes the idea of paying athletes. The NCAA Division I Board of Directors is scheduled to meet in Indianapolis later this week. The petition is not on the agenda of discussion topics, but the governing body is scheduled to consider funding the gap between scholarship awards and the full cost of attending school.

In addition to the creation of the reserve fund, the athletes’ petition asks that multi-year scholarships for student-athletes replace one-year renewable scholarships and that permanently injured players’ scholarships are ensured while, in addition, the schools cover medical expenses on sports-related injuries.

[Associated Press]