Texas Football: Sam Ehlinger outspoken NCAA opinion correct?
The idea behind the latest outcry against the NCAA “amateurism” label came about from Texas football star quarterback Sam Ehlinger.
The Texas football program tended to shy away from speaking out about the recent uproar of paying some of the more profitable college athletes, especially among some of the more prominent football and basketball programs in the nation. That was until rising junior Texas football quarterback Sam Ehlinger gave his opinion to the college football landscape on March 7.
Texas football had a very prominent 2018 campaign which can bring up some questions during the off-season as to the value of some of the top players on the team. In terms of a true Heisman contending star for the 2019 season like Ehlinger, the spotlight can shine very bright on him for the entirety of the long off-season, especially as we make our way into spring camp and the spring football game on the Forty Acres.
A lot of the valid concern that Ehlinger has regarding this situation started with a government bill that came about last week proposing the NCAA start paying student athletes. This bill proposed by a state congressman would help college athletes like Ehlinger shed the tag of “amateurs” from the NCAA and essentially make them full time paid employees.
Sam Ehlinger expressed his support for a proposed NCAA amateurism reform bill, calling college athletics “a full-time unpaid internship" https://t.co/qauI0Dln1j
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 8, 2019
There’s a ton of controversy lately about the NCAA not paying some of its more valuable athletes for the nation’s most prominent and valuable athletes, like Ehlinger with the Texas Longhorns football program.
Last year, Forbes ranked the Horns and Texas A&M Aggies as the nation’s two most valuable college football programs. Telling one of the more prominent athletes on either of those two teams that they don’t make any money for the program is starting to become more and more controversial.
Consider a full-time unpaid internship that requires 1-4 years of participation, with a minimum 40-hour work week. This internship generates millions of dollars for your company, and billions of dollars for the broadcasting companies that cover your industry.
— Sam Ehlinger (@sehlinger3) March 7, 2019
According to the News & Observer, a North Carolina congressman by the name of Mark Walker pushed this bill through in Washington for players to be allowed to profit from their name and image. Profiting from their likeness is something that the NCAA prevented and caused this situation in the first place.
The fact that Ehlinger posted as much on social media as he did on this subject is a bit different. A lot of athletes will speak out against the NCAA after their time in college is done. But, Ehlinger is joining the trend of existing players speaking their minds now.
A lot of this happened too after Duke Blue Devils freshman sensation forward Zion Williamson injured his knee against the North Carolina Tar Heels on the hardwood last month. That could’ve played a role in this North Carolina republican congressman pushing through a big like this in the first place.
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SB Nation also pushed a piece about Ehlinger and Texas football to where the author (Alex Kirshner) stated that “you’d point it out too” regarding him discussing the NCAA’s amateurism. This is an outcry that comes about each and every off-season and is reaching the federal government just before the start of spring camp for Texas football.