Changing times

[Consigliere]

Time for the NCAA to step forward and protect the mens basketball property. Now that precedent has been set to give college athlete standing as employees of the university system maybe the NCAA should treat them as employees. Remove the technicality that considers scholarships and LOIs one year renewables and make them four year guarantees provided the employee maintains satisfactory academic standing. Make LOIs a contract binding the employee for the full four year term and include a buyout clause. If you leave school early to go to the NBA you pay back the cost of tuition, R&B, fees and any stipends that may come to be given current discussion and direction. Contract needs to be standardized across all D1 schools to prevent negative recruiting against institutions that may be more restrictive. Maybe provide an out clause if an employee moves on following his junior year providing he leaves in good academic standing.

I know that this would be symbolic more than anything and first round talents are still going to go but using college sports solely as a stepping stone, particularly with the foolish one and done rule, benefits the NBA at the expense of college ball and the athlete.

May also have to rethink the 13 scholarship limit. With earlier and earlier commitments, the uncertainty top programs face leading up to draft declarations is borderline unmanageable. Assume players will leave, fill the scholarships and run the risk of a player deciding to stay and exceed the limit or consider potential draftees as part of the roster until they declare and find yourself come May 1 with a shorthanded roster going into the fall an injury away from being unable to fill out a representative team after you have turned away prospective recruits early in the process because there appears to be no room at the inn.

Just venting here but the current system is way too one sided and serves no one but the NBA.

 

[maxxyz]

Now that precedent has been set to give college athlete standing as employees of the university system maybe the NCAA should treat them as employees.

This may be a silly question, but if the athletes are considered employees, will they have to pay taxes on there compensation package? A $40,000 a year scholarship, plus a $10,000 room & board, plus incidentals. Would this leave them owing the IRS $10,000 annually?

 

[tbonezone]

what once was considered a an unwritten cardinal sin (recruiting over an LOI) is now basically a cover yer ass necessity.

 

[texascpa]

This may be a silly question, but if the athletes are considered employees, will they have to pay taxes on there compensation package? A $40,000 a year scholarship, plus a $10,000 room & board, plus incidentals. Would this leave them owing the IRS $10,000 annually?

Technically, yes, it would be reportable as taxable income.