Texas will begin to pay players $10,000 per year

[untjim1995]

And the slippery slope toward being the official minor league system for the NFL and NBA truly begins...

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/headlines/20141021-texas-athletic-director-with-new-rules-longhorns-will-pay-each-player-10000.ece

[Withers940]

I Cant believe that this is actually going to happen. This will end college athletics as we once knew and loved.

[oldguystudent]

So long college sports. We hardly knew ye.

[meangreendork]

Mixed feelings here - scholarships don't pay for all of the little things you need in college, which I get. It's just that it's already hard enough to compete against the P5 schools as it is, this just makes it harder.

Edited October 22, 2014 by meangreendork

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

I told you. The Criminal 5 are now openly doing what they gave SMU the death penalty for.

Remember, I also told you that the next barrier to be leveled would be the 85 scholarship limit. It is coming.

Think it's hard to recruit to places like North Texas now? A kid can now go sit on Texas' bench for $10k a year for expenses plus $5k for likeness. When the scholarship barrier is down, they will simply load up like OU used to do in the 1970s, taking every running back they could because they could.

Edited October 22, 2014 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[greenjoe]

It seems to me that Southern Meth was given the death penalty for doing this.

Beat Rice

GO MEAN GREEN

[BillySee58]

Mixed feelings here - scholarships don't pay for all of the little things you need in college, which I get. It's just that it's already hard enough to compete against the P5 schools as it is, this just makes it harder.

Then you're parents should help out. If they don't have enough money to help out then you should be able to get a grant (or NCAA should have a grant program). If your parents do have the money to help but either don't or maybe have financial burdens, then take out a loan. If you're in that bracket where your parents make too much money for a grant but can't really help you out much in college, then you were going to have to take out a lot of loans to get through college either way. The scholarship means you don't have to take out as much loan money as you would've if you had never received a scholarship, since you'll only be using it for stuff like gas and groceries and such (food and room and board are paid for).

That's my view on the "we need extra money to get through college" issue. As for the issue of players making money off their likenesses and getting a cut of the big bucks they're making for that program, you can't really argue against that IMO.

[BillySee58]

I told you. The Criminal 5 are now openly doing what they gave SMU the death penalty for.

Remember, I also told you that the next barrier to be leveled would be the 85 scholarship limit. It is coming.

Think it's hard to recruit to places like North Texas now? A kid can now go sit on Texas' bench for $10k a year for expenses plus $5k for likeness. When the scholarship barrier is down, they will simply load up like OU used to do in the 1970s, taking every running back they could because they could.

Title 9 could be a potential roadblock for the removing of the scholarship cap.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Then you're parents should help out. If they don't have enough money to help out then you should be able to get a grant (or NCAA should have a grant program). If your parents do have the money to help but either don't or maybe have financial burdens, then take out a loan. If you're in that bracket where your parents make too much money for a grant but can't really help you out much in college, then you were going to have to take out a lot of loans to get through college either way. The scholarship means you don't have to take out as much loan money as you would've if you had never received a scholarship, since you'll only be using it for stuff like gas and groceries and such (food and room and board are paid for).

That's my view on the "we need extra money to get through college" issue. As for the issue of players making money off their likenesses and getting a cut of the big bucks they're making for that program, you can't really argue against that IMO.

Agree.

I worked two jobs almost every day of college, and only attended part time during the semesters that I couldn't afford to go full time.

So, my sympathy for kids who are already having their room, board, and tuition taken care of...it's lacking. Many of us busted our butts in college and paid for everything. Athletes are already getting the vast majority of their expenses covered.

Edited October 22, 2014 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Title 9 could be a potential roadblock for the removing of the scholarship cap.

They will find a way around it. Remember, they are now writing the rules for themselves as they go along.

[Cerebus]

They will find a way around it. Remember, they are now writing the rules for themselves as they go along.

Title IX is a Federal Law.

I agree pay rates will put us at a huge disadvantage but NO ONE is going to take the political hit of trying to roll back Title IX in any way shape or form.

The very top of the P5 could just fund 5 new women's sports to cover more men's FB scholarships, but even the P5 middle class would vote against that.

[oldguystudent]

They will find a way around it. Remember, they are now writing the rules for themselves as they go along.

They're dicking around with federal law and federal funding on that one. That's not just some smoky backroom dealing amongst P5 commissioners. Maybe they'll find a way around it, but'll be a whole lot more difficult than gladhanding the NCAA to remove all this amateur status nonsense.

[oldguystudent]

I can see the celebrations down on Mockingbird right now.

[HoustonEagle]

We are 1-AA all over again. If there is a bright side, and there is not, it would be that this new 1-AA we are in will be larger with better teams. Truth is there are not that many programs that can compete in this rat race. Some P5 schools will have some hard choices to make as there are many that don't show a positive cash flow. Can I use "profit" here?

[greenit]

I hope the paycheck games start commanding $2mm per game.

[MeanGreenGlory]

Question: Is this football only? Or do they now have to pay EVERY student athlete on campus the same amount?

[CMJ]

My reaction to this mess. Sucks, but what can you do?

Edited October 22, 2014 by CMJ

[oldguystudent]

Question: Is this football only? Or do they now have to pay EVERY student athlete on campus the same amount?

If I read the article correctly, it's $10,000 per athlete for a total of $6 million, so that would be 600 athletes, ergo, everybody. I could have misread it, and it could be $15,000 per athlete ($10,000 pay, $5,000 for likeness), totaling $6 million. In that case, it would be 400 athletes. Either way, until they remove the scholarship cap, those numbers would represent far more than just the football team.

[NT Alum '04]

If I read the article correctly, it's $10,000 per athlete for a total of $6 million, so that would be 600 athletes, ergo, everybody. I could have misread it, and it could be $15,000 per athlete ($10,000 pay, $5,000 for likeness), totaling $6 million. In that case, it would be 400 athletes. Either way, until they remove the scholarship cap, those numbers would represent far more than just the football team.

So the new football scholly cap will be between 400-600 semi pro athletes...

[oldguystudent]

While we're at it, can we get rid of eligibility caps too? Like, if Texas happens upon another Vince Young and he doesn't get offered enough in the draft, can they just keep him around for ten years? I mean, c'mon, minor league baseball doesn't have any such silly thing as 4-year (6 if P5) caps on playing time!

[DT 90]

$800 a month. Seems fair. You all have been demanding that UNT football players need to get bigger, stronger and faster. Bigger,stronger and faster at this level requires a full time commitment and it is not cheap . That means the time to workout during the summer and more so the ability to eat what you HAVE to, not what you want to. You cannot gain weight by skipping meals because you have to pay rent and utilities. You also cannot work for half the school year because the NCAA does not allow it.

AND I am not going to compare what scholarship athletes have to deal with to regular students because they are NOT the same. Each has their own significant challanges.

[Mean Green 93-98]

$800 a month. Seems fair. You all have been demanding that UNT football players need to get bigger, stronger and faster. Bigger,stronger and faster at this level requires a full time commitment and it is not cheap . That means the time to workout during the summer and more so the ability to eat what you HAVE to, not what you want to. You cannot gain weight by skipping meals because you have to pay rent and utilities. You also cannot work for half the school year because the NCAA does not allow it.

AND I am not going to compare what scholarship athletes have to deal with to regular students because they are NOT the same. Each has their own significant challanges.

Uh huh. If North Texas ever goes this direction, I promise that will immediately quit supporting the Mean Green Club, and will encourage others to do the same. I would much rather drop down to 1AA and maintain some semblance of our integrity than to have North Texas athletics become semi-pro.

[meaniegreenie]

We are 1-AA all over again. If there is a bright side, and there is not, it would be that this new 1-AA we are in will be larger with better teams. Truth is there are not that many programs that can compete in this rat race. Some P5 schools will have some hard choices to make as there are many that don't show a positive cash flow. Can I use "profit" here?

Yep, back in 1-AA but with a shiny new stadjum.

[TIgreen01]

Lots of knee jerking in here. Got a few questions...

1) Why is UT announcing this and not the Big 12? Are we to assume that each school gets to decide how much to pay?

2) Which leads into my second question: Didn't CUSA presidents already vote to adopt a stipend? Is CUSA going to set a conference wide limit in order to both maintain some semblance of competitive balance and to make sure every school is safe from any legal issues?

3) How is this going to work? Seems like the calls for a "college sports czar" are in order or this thing could quickly escalate into chaos.

[untjim1995]

Yep, back in 1-AA but with a shiny new stadjum.

Well, we kinda new this was coming. Texas and the rest of the Criminal 5 will get their money from the networks and bowls and conferences so this is a nice pre-emptive strike against anyone complaining about the players. Plus, they, as the richest AD in America, just set the floor on this. They know they can pay more, but they also know that others may not be able to pay more than this. Its probably why they chose this figure, knowing that the Tech's and Iowa State's of the world can still pay it while they play in a P5 league.

Our new stadium was always going to be needed, even if we end up being classified at the G5 level and it becomes a quasi-FCS type of classification. Fouts wasn't going to be able to withstand 5 more years of use because of the amount of power that had to be brought in just to get it up and running for a gameday. But that said, I wouldn't want to be the Chacnellor, President, or BOR at this place and have to answer the angry Dentonites who were admaantly opposed to this stadium and its costs. They are going to demand heads roll for $78 million being spent on a football stadium that is housing a team that isn't playing at the highest level, that Fouts could have easily handled this. Its completely wrong, but I know its coming. The DRC is going to have a field day with this, just watch...

There is no way we can afford to even pay half of that figure. Maybe not even a quarter of it. It is what it is--as I have said before, I just want those Criminal 5 teams to go away and just play each other. Let the G5 teams and the better FCS teams play real college football for scholarships only. If no one watches us because of this, then we will have to assess what to do next, but one thing is for sure. We will have a lot more company in this state in a new i-aa than we had back in the 90s. UH, SMU, UTEP, UTSA, Texas State, Rice and us will be in the same boat going forward. Right now, the G5 schools, including the service academies, total 63. The FCS probably has about another 30 teams or so that could compete at this level pretty easily, like NDSU, SHSU, Montana, Eastern Washington, Youngstown State, etc.. That is probably where this thing goes from here. The fun part will be seeing if schools like SMU and Tulane will keep playing football or just give it up. Or will schools like Baylor and TCU, should they get the P5 boot when the Big XII finally dies off, just try to BYU it and go independent?