USC, like all major college football powers, made millions of dollars by utilizing the unpaid talent (except for what he got under the table) of Mike Williams and others. They will make millions more in 2004 no matter whether Williams is on the team or not. Will they be as good without his as they would be with him? No, but they will survive and prosper. Why is it that NFL teams can pay their players $$millions$$ of dollars but college teams can fill their stadiums and get big time TV money just like the NFL with free labor and yet they cry about needing more money. For example, an NFL team with a 70,000 seat stadium starts the season out with an $80 million salary cap in the red. A college team with a 70,000 seat stadium starts the season without a penny's indebtedness for player personel. For an NFL team owner to make a profit his team has to generate income over and above player and coaches salaries and operating expenses while a college team needs only to generate revenues over and above coaches salaries and operating expenses. NFL teams have to share the revenue from the merchandising of team paraphanaila while college teams among the elite like LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Texas, ect. get to keep all the money generated from the sales of their own licensed products (jerseys, T shirts, caps, ect.) If you balance the books on what Mike Williams has given to USC during the 2 years he was there and what USC has given to Williams USC is way ahead in a dollar for dollar comparison. Williams exchanged his unpaid labor with USC for the opportunity to showcase and develope his skills on a national stage while USC raked in millions without having to pay him the kind of salary that an elite wide receiver in the NFL would have commanded. IF Williams chooses to take advantage of the opportunity to get on with his regular job ahead of schedule his debt to USC is already paid in full.
My understanding as this case was going into district court was that the NCAA was willing to vacate their draft declarations if the court ruled for the NFL and fully restore their eligibility. BUT, since both players hired agents, that is probably completely out the window now. The NCAA has zero tolerance for athletes even going near sports agents, and I don't think they will let Williams and Clarett off on that account regarless of what happens in the courts. They should have waited to hire agents until they knew for certain they were going into the draft. The moral to this story; NEVER burn a bridge, especially when it's the only one back into town. Clarett is a punk who will make about the same impact in the NFL as Cecil Collins or Lawrence Phillips, but I'd regret it for Mike Williams. He is the real deal and definitely a high 1st round draft pick.
its no different than any other school... there is no real owner in college so no one assumes a risk since they do not pay players. Nor can you assess a value on a college player to say he was worth x amount of dollars. We live in a pretend world where we say these few premier athletes are here for an education. Nothing can be further from the truth. Many come just to play sports. the HIGH paying sports....not lacrosse or softball. How much can you assess Marquise Spears was worth to LSU? you can't, really though next year we will sure as hell miss that 'man child'. I am not quite sure of your argument yet I do believe college players in major sports should be paid and title IX should be revoked. its a joke the major sports which provide unreal revenue to these faculties have to struggle with scholarships and the players struggle to live in many instances. they are hypocritical thieves pulling the wool over the 'acadamecian's' eyes saying education is the forefront blah blah blah. give me a break. pay these guys half they are worth and pocket the rest. thats fair enough. screw the sports who dont support themselves unless the AD chooses to.
Take for example the Dallas Cowboys vs the Universty of Texas. Jerry Jones owns the Cowboys and UT owns the Longhorn football team. Jerry Jones is in the hole for whatever the salary cap is before the season even starts and he pays Bill Parcells and his assistants a lot more than UT pays Mack Brown and his assistants. Jones shares in the revenue produced by the NFL TV contracts but he has to share the revenue produced by NFL licensed Cowboys merchandise while receiving revenue from NFL licenced merchandise from the other 31 NFL teams, a majority of whom don't sell nearly as much merchandise with their logo as the mechandise sold with the Cowboys logo. When was the last time you saw somebody wearing a Cowboys T Shirt or Cap? Yesterday? When was the last time you saw somebody wearing a Cincinnatti Bengals or a Seattle Seahawks T Shirt or Cap? Microsoft billionaire Seahawks owner is in the black receiving revenue from Cowboys merchandise while Jerry Jones is in the Red for paying out revenue on Cowboys merchandise while receiving a lesser amount for his share of the sale of Seahawks merchandise. The University of Texas dosen't have to pay their players up to the $70 or $80 million salary cap. They share their TV revenue with the rest of the Big 12 but they get to keep every cent of revenue produced by the sale of licensed UT merchandise. While they don't get anything from the sale of Baylor or Iowa State merchandise hey don't have to pay a single dime to Baylor or Iowa State out of a Longhorn T Shirt or Cap. Even though he hasn't set the NFL on fire Cowboys QB Quincy Carter is paid at least a couple of million per year. UT recently had both Chris Simms and Major Applewhite as their QBs. Simms presumably wasn't hurting for money because his dad Phil made millions as a QB for the Giants but Applewhite won more games for the Horns than Simms did and Applewhite comes from a middle class family in Baton Rouge. All that considered, who pocketed the most profits? The Cowboys or the University of Texas football team?
your point is overstated. everyone knows the NCAA is making money hand over fist while the 'employees' are getting screwed. for those who buy into the fact, 'well they are getting an education' is drinking the kool-aid. they cannot be swayed since they think this education is comparable to the billions the NCAA is raking in. the major conferences should break away from the ncaa and do what they know is right. make it a private business and adjust accordingly.
I didn't overstate the point to convince you of anything. I emphasized my points in a probably futile effort to hammer some sense into the heads of those people who still think that colleges are doing the players a favor by giving them a free education while exploiting them for free labor.
hear, hear. it is a joke and people should see it as such. well, (racist name to follow), Tyrelle has a degree in Social Studies from (fill in the blank) Y University..... (anything but yale) if he fails to be a top 10 NBA pick this scholarship was worth the 250 million he would have made otherwise or at least the 100's of millions brought to the university while he attended.... right? that 'loss' of say 50k of the university to pay his 5 yr scholarship is equal, right? what a sacrifice they take to give these young 'students' the opportunity for an education. sure some use it and run with it if they dont make it to the next level but be real. the percentage that uses their actual degree is about equal to the ones who really make it. one out of a million. that is documented. one person out of a million who puts his name in the NBA draft....makes it. good luck with that. big baby....you listening?
Jetstorm - thanks for detailing one of the reasons I think that both Clarett AND Williams are GREEDY in this case. The $$$$ was going to come their way in a year or two AS LONG AS THEY PLAYED BY THE RULES AND WERE WILLING TO WAIT FOR IT. By going the route that they did, I think that they are attempting to subvert the entire system and yes, it DOES make them BOTH look greedy by wanting "compensation for their wares" AHEAD OF TIME! It is my fervent wish that the NCAA NOT let them off the hook! They BOTH KNEW what the rules were when they signed on!!!
I don't feel sorry for Clarett and Williams. They had a "free" ride through college and blew it. I will miss seeing them get their clocks cleaned in their rookie seasons, though. LOL
