as much as it pains me to say this: well done, Harbaugh
The only thing I'd add: let a player reserve his max draft round to preserve eligibility. For example, a freshman declares for the draft with a max round of 3. If not selected in first 3 rounds, he can withdraw and return to school.
*Personally I'd prefer college athletics simply abandon the whole "amateurism" bullshit and openly pay athletes. Plus allow them to sign an NFL/NBA contract at any time, including the middle of the season.
I highly recommend this HBO documentary about the 2017 NCAA basketball "scandal," such as it was. The real scandal was how SDNY prosecutors went after Christian Dawkins, who in any other business would be considered a brilliant young entrepreneur.
The crux of this:
1. There is literally no law against paying a college athlete, it is only an NCAA rule to promote "amateurism"
2. The NCAA runs tournaments, TV contracts etc, and distributes money to schools
3. Paying an athlete therefore becomes illegal because...
/1
1. There is literally no law against paying a college athlete, it is only an NCAA rule to promote "amateurism"
2. The NCAA runs tournaments, TV contracts etc, and distributes money to schools
3. Paying an athlete therefore becomes illegal because...
/1
.... you are "conspiring" to get a school in trouble w/ the NCAA, thereby robbing it of potential income.
This is why the SDNY Dawkins threatened to put Dawkins in prison for 100 years, for offering to funnel cash to college players that was provided by (wait for it)...
/2
This is why the SDNY Dawkins threatened to put Dawkins in prison for 100 years, for offering to funnel cash to college players that was provided by (wait for it)...
/2
... an undercover FBI informant, who offered to be an FBI informant b/c he was in trouble for securities fraud, using cash provided by the FBI (a/k/a, you and me).
Dawkins would have never been in trouble had he just kept the piles of FBI cash.
/3
Dawkins would have never been in trouble had he just kept the piles of FBI cash.
/3
So get this: the FBI and prosecutors stopped prosecuting a guy who stole money from people, because he offered to give the FBI's money to a guy who would give it to other people. But not to commit any literal crime.
/4
/4
The whole story is utterly Kafkaesque, and the central baddie is the NCAA. Consider this: it is completely OK to funnel as much money as you like to a HS BB player, if he plans to skip college and go to NBA G-League. It only becomes a federal case if he goes to college.
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I dunno, I think it could be a positive for Ohio State by freeing up their salary cap
