The NCAA needs to act

By now we've started to tire of the Cam Newton saga. (Well, at least I have.) But, since it will dominate headlines for the foreseeable future, I figured I should give my opinion on it since there is little to no talk/mention of a solution I find quite palatable.

Now, the issue cannot be "amateurism," at least not in it's purest sense. As is always mentioned, the schools and conferences make entirely too much money off of these athletes to tell them that they cannot be paid. But this is where the "They're getting paid with a scholarship" argument comes in. We all know that college is expensive, but consider the costs of an out of state athlete playing away from home.

U of M (as an example)
Annual, two-semester, non-resident tuition is averaged at $16,669
+
Add to that average annual, on campus room and board of $7,576
=
Total: $24,245
Four year total at 2010-11 average: $96,980; Five year (redshirt) total: $121,225

 Now let's take a look at the two schools that are at the center of a very heated situation:

Auburn University
Annual non-resident cost per year for "Tuition & Fees" is $21,916
+
Annual cost for "Room and Board" is $9,630
=
Total: $31,546
Four year total at 2010-11 average: $126,184; Five year (redshirt) total: $157,730

Mississippi State University

Annual non-resident cost per year for "Tuition & Fees" is $13,801
+
Annual cost for "Room and Board" is $4,494
=
Total: $18,295
Four year total at 2010-11 average: $73,180; Five year (redshirt) total: $91,475

So, using the current Cam Newton situation as a guide, let's see what this means.

Newton and/or his father allegedly asked for $100,000 to $200,000 (reports have varied) from Mississippi State for Cam's commitment. As a junior, Heisman favorite and QB for an undefeated SEC team, Newton, if he declares for the 2011 NFL Draft, will likely have played in 18 FBS games. Of those dozen-and-a-half games, 14 will come at Auburn -- all of one regular season, a SEC title game and a bowl.

For that, Auburn committed a minimum of $3,950 (estimated cost of attendance for one semester minus room and board and all other expenses) if Newton is still considered a Georgia resident. Miss. State, allegedly, was asked for at least $100,000 to acquire Newton's services, or $93,099.50 more than the cost of a one-semester rental at QB.

That's a hefty chunk of change to have a student for one semester (if he declares). So what to do about it? Let's look at two of the more talked-about "solutions."

1. Pay the players -- This is an impossibility. It's not that there isn't enough money, but it would have to be spent on all athletes, not just football players. This would make the wealthiest schools richer in every sense of the imagination. Plus, the kind of money that Newton supposedly was interested in would be far, far greater than any salary a college could offer. If he was a 5-year student at Auburn, he would have doubled (or more) his scholarship take.
2. Allow the players to be paid by agents/handlers -- This is a better solution, but not a good one. Maybe if the NFL and NCAA came to an agreement that all agents would have to be certified through them, and all transactions would have to be legal contracts and certified through the leagues, then maybe. But the NFL and NCAA are way too money/power hungry to allow one or the other to have any real sway.

My idea has two parts:

1. Allow players to be drafted earlier -- This is the best scenario and is already in place in hockey. Allow all players to become draft eligible after their freshman year (in any sport), and allow them to sign after their sophomore year. There would be few players that would make the cut as a 20-year old, but that would be up to them and their pro team. This would also allow players to avoid another year of beatings if they are considered "ready."
2. If a player leaves before they graduate, they have to pay back a portion of their scholarship. This would be a nice feather in the "academic" hat of the NCAA. On the flip side, if a player, in any sport, suffers a career ending injury, their scholarship is maintained so they can graduate.

I don't anticipate the NCAA doing much of anything to resolve the issue(s). But the NCAA needs to grow a pair and threaten severe penalties for violating current and/or future rules. Reggie Bush giving back his Heisman is a nice talker and a "plus" as far as image goes, but how long would schools and athletic departments put up with the current slate of problems if they were forced to surrender bowl money if they were found to be using ineligible players?

It's one thing to pay lip service to the issues at hand, but quite another when something meaningful happens. Look at USC. Everyone that caused problems is now gone. Their head coach is in the NFL. The dirty player is in the NFL. The current athletes take the hardest hit. Would any of this have happened if USC was forced to repay the millions of dollars they collected for playing in Rose Bowls and BCS title games? Maybe, maybe not. But the pressure from other schools would be immense. Many conferences split bowl profits. Would Stanford be okay with losing a mil or two because USC cheated? No, I don't think they would.