Ole Miss Football: Grove Grinder, More NCAA, Shenanigans And Stipends
Ole Miss football has been the center of attention over the past few weeks. Of course, most of it’s been negative. Grove Grinder takes a look at a few things which have been on my mind and under my skin.
The past few weeks have been a rough ride for Ole Miss football and their fans. After the NCAA camp-out on Manning Way and the two NOAs we believed it was going to be really bad for us. Of course, thanks to leaks from within the investigation to certain MSU media word had spilled out about the immunized testimony of players. Leo Lewis and Kobe Jones are their key witnesses in a sham which included NCAA investigators. You see how this is going already.
Now, with last weeks story by Steven Godfrey on SB Nation there is a spotlight on several schools besides Ole Miss. Just to refresh your memory on a couple of things. Chris Kiffin’s official response to the NOA stated the NCAA investigators knew ‘Leo Lewis had solicited inducements from multiple schools.’ Of course, Godfrey’s piece shed light on MSU and LSU. However, don’t forget Leo Lewis was also committed to Alabama as well. Food for thought, just saying.
Shenanigans
Ole Miss Rebels Football
As long as there is college football there will be stories of why a player chose one school over the other. However, it does leave one to question a number of things about the NCAA and what forces these kids to seek money for their services to a billion dollar industry.
Riddle me this, why would a 5-star LB out of Mississippi not sign with the #1 team in the country? Well I believe we all know the answer. MSU was’nt going to be ‘cut out’ again. Of course, we all remember the preacher’s son who State couldn’t afford. Obviously, 5-star LBs don’t bring as much as 5-star quarterbacks.
But still, it happens and apparently at a few other schools besides Ole Miss. It doesn’t take a genius to see kids driving brand new cars and those schools have been doing it for years. Just drive into the IPF parking lots throughout the SEC and look at some of the cars and trucks.
However, there are player stipends which apparently don’t seem to be working very well. Sometimes you get young men shoplifting because they are broke. No, being a college student isn’t easy nor cheap even for some scholarship athletes.
Looking Back
Over the years we’ve seen case after case of players throughout the nation getting caught for theft. That’s not something a college athlete with money does. When they do it’s because they have no money.
Of course, regardless of which side of the coin a student-athlete falls on, the question is still the same. The problem still exists and there is no real chance of seeing it change anytime soon. The NCAA makes billions off these athletes and the athletes seldom get the money.
There is just a sliver of the pie which goes to student athletes thru stipends. The rest is pocketed by multi-million dollar programs and conferences which pay commissioners millions of dollars a year. However, there certainly are instances where a star-studded athlete rakes in big money. So sure it does happen and so do the occurrences of bad behavior.
The Solution Is Unfair
There has long been the argument over players being paid for their college athletics experience. When you consider the money which the NCAA and schools make off their athletics programs there is a strong argument for it. However, there are those who believe the cost of their sports scholarship is enough.
In 2015 the NCAA began allowing schools to pay stipends to college athletes. This was money paid to the athletes by schools to supplement what they had to pay beside tuition and room and board. According to Chris Isadore at MoneyCNN.com,
"The stipends, available at most of the country major sports programs, range from about $2,000 to $5,000 a year, although some schools are reportedly offering a few thousand more than that. That may not sound like a lot, but that’s real money for students from poorer families. ~Chris Isadore, MoneyCNN"
As long as we continue to witness illegal activity by athletes in order to make money or to compensate for the lack thereof then the stipends aren’t working. Of course, some believe the stipend payouts should be more, while some believe they are more of a problem than the solution. When they are being paid out and monitored by the schools then it does raise questions. When some schools pay out more than others it really does.
SEC Cost Of Attendance Stipends
So how much money do SEC football players get as stipends? And does a Bama player get more than an Auburn player? Do Miss State players get more than Ole Miss? It does raise red flags when you consider there are a number of schools which rake in a ton of money compared to others, even in the SEC. Ole Miss has the smallest enrollment in the SEC, however they fall around the middle of the pack when it comes to stipend payouts.
According to SEC Country, the cost of attendance stipends range in amounts from $5,666 paid by Tennessee down to $3,528 by Texas A&M. Ole Miss ranks as the 5th highest on the list at $4,890 whereas Miss State ranks as 4th on the list at $5,156. Not much difference between the two really, however they should be the same.
No school should be able to pay its players more than another. It should be fair across the board for all schools and the NCAA should make sure it is. Isn’t the NCAA supposed to frown over unfair advantages and unfair tactics?
NCAA Contradictions
In reality the NCAA has allowed player stipends to create even more unfairness in the recruiting practices of some schools. When a player wants to make every cent they can and solicit one school against the next, higher stipends can make a difference in a recruit’s decision.
Next: Week One SEC Predictions!
It’s way past time for the NCAA to shore up certain policies and procedures. When it comes to the way it handles college athletics they’ve dropped the ball. For way too long there have had no checks and balances within the NCAA itself. It’s time for the SEC and the other Power 5 athletic conferences to press the NCAA to get their act together. Hotty Toddy!