NCAA talking to NFL about anti-benefit partnership...what about NBA?

by:Thomas Beisner10/25/10
So far, this college football season has been one of the best in recent memory, with a number of upsets and down-to-the-wire finishs.  The Heisman race is as open as any race in recent memory and there is no clear-cut national contender.  However, there has been a giant black cloud hovering over the sport since the season started (two if you count Boise State) and North Carolina was turned upside-down by NCAA investigation.  The issue of agents tampering with players and players receiving extra benefits has tarnished the season a bit and there appears to be no real resolution to the problem.  However, there was an interesting twist today.  The NFL appears to be interested in helping college athletics fix the problem, according to ESPN's Joe Schad.  Schad tweeted this earlier:
NCAA, NFL discuss possibility of NFL rookie suspensions for extra benefits
Very exciting, I know.  Now, since this is basketball country and all, I'd like to take little idea and transition it to the hardwood.  What are the chances that the NBA would work with the NCAA on an issue like this?  Right off the cuff, I'd say that its slim to none.  A handful of the seemingly increased eligibility issues at the NCAA level stem from the introduction of the one-and-done rule, which is both equally brilliant for the NBA and troubling for the NCAA.  The pros essentially get a "prove yourself" year for player's to distance themselves from their prep hype before investing large contracts, but sends some players that have no business being in college to campus and, in some cases (OJ Mayo), leave a trail behind for regular student-athletes to drown in. I'm not sure what a resolution would be, but it would make Pete Thamel a lot more insignificant and that can't be a bad thing, right?

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2024-04-24