Recently, the NCAA followed suit with a number of states and announced that collegiate student athletes can now profit off of their NIL .. name, image, likeness. 

I 100-percent supported and agreed with the decision. The literal millions of dollars that colleges, coaches and communities make off of these athletes is staggering. I fully agree that the athletes should be able to make some money off of themselves as well.

What’s the worst that could happen? The biggest names at the biggest schools would make a ton of money .. and everyone, from the D1 All-American QB to the D3 third-string long snapper, could make something! 

I’m not sure what the going rate would have been for a kid holding down the ninth spot on the wideout depth chart 30 years ago at a PSAC school. There was a 7-Eleven beside my dorm, so maybe the two-for-a-dollar deal hotdogs, for free? I’d have gladly accepted that daily!

No, I don’t agree that Reggie Bush should get his Heisman and his stats back. He lost them for taking money when he wasn’t allowed. I’m a huge Reggie Bush fan .. but no. Just because it’s okay now, doesn’t mean every college athlete ever gets to go back and benefit from that now. 

So yes, the NIL policy adopted by the NCAA looked like a good idea that was a long time in the making. Unfortunately, like a lot of good ideas turn out, the ones at the front of the money train may end up ruining it for those in the back. 

There’s been one highly-ranked high school senior already announce he’s skipping his senior year of high school so that he can take advantage of the fact that he can enroll at college and start making money. Then, the most-heralded QB in the country announced that he was doing the same thing. 

Uh-oh. This could become a problem. Where does it stop? Every senior in high school who commits D1 or D2 finishes early and takes off for college so they can start making money? Could blue-chip juniors and sophomores follow suit? And then we get one-and-dones in high school? A kid can get their G.E.D. at 16 in most states. And overzealous college coaches are offering 12-year olds scholarships. 

So, I’m not sure about the NCAA decision now. I still think athletes in college should be able to profit off of themselves, but high school athletes? That’s where it’s heading. 

They may want to take first year college athletes out of the equation. If they can’t make money until their second year of college, it ends the high school kids being in a hurry to skip seasons. Or put an age-limit on earning money off of yourself? Make eligible NIL benefactors be 18? 

I don’t know the answer. It kind of sucks that we even have to ask the question. 

What I’m certain of is .. if they give Reggie back his Heisman someday, 7-11 owes me some hotdogs.