Feb SI has prominent mention of UConn & Shabazzonn | The Boneyard

Feb SI has prominent mention of UConn & Shabazzonn

Joined
Feb 26, 2012
Messages
841
Reaction Score
5,411
In Senator Cory Booker's article on his Senate legislation to create a College Athletes Bill of Rights, Shabazz is pictured in a half-page photo -- and in the article specifically speaking of his interview about "going to bed hungry."

I know he spoke about the "hungry Huskies" after the '14 natty, but I always assumed that was an inference to the tournament penalty UConn received in 2013.

Anyone know of the interview where he said that?

What kind of sick system ever allowed this to happen?
 

HuskyV

Connecticut UConn Husky
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
525
Reaction Score
1,064
His initial quote was definitely about the ncaa penalties.

Stupid reporters chased him down a rabbit hole pursuing the wrong narrative. It was gutsy for Shabazz to call out the NCAA for their poor behavior. For months after people were talking about athletes being hunger, rather than the real injustice of the penalties paid by UConn players, coaches and fans.

Years later talking about hunger, when ncaa's terrible rules and uneven/inept enforcement was the real story.


"Let me get your attention. Ladies & gentlemen, you are looking at the Hungry Huskies. This what happens when you ban us. Last year. Two years. We worked so hard for it. Two years and hungry. Hungry Huskies!!"
 

CL82

NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champions - Again!
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
57,063
Reaction Score
209,394
Bazz did say that he didn't have cash for extra meals and sometimes he went to bed hungry, but that was after three meals and snack. When I was his age I was hungry all the time too and probably with only a fraction of his calorie needs.
 

HuskyV

Connecticut UConn Husky
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
525
Reaction Score
1,064
College kids on a meal plan have unlimited access to food 3 times a day, probably 6am to 6pm. I would hope that the UConn hoop training table was well stocked in 2014.

And we all ordered pizza or a late night Sub.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
2,770
Reaction Score
7,959
I think his point was he didn’t have money for pizza or a late night sub.
Many kids who really r that poor get pell grants too. At least they did 15 years ago
 

HuskylnSC

North is a direction; South is a lifestyle
Joined
Mar 7, 2017
Messages
2,337
Reaction Score
11,855
College kids on a meal plan have unlimited access to food 3 times a day, probably 6am to 6pm. I would hope that the UConn hoop training table was well stocked in 2014.

And we all ordered pizza or a late night Sub.
NCAA rules were restrictive on what Scholarship athletes can be give. For example they were allowed one snack. If the chose a bagel, they could not put cream cheese on the bagel. That was a violation of NCAA guidelines. UConn being on probation operated under all the guidelines. Because of Shabazz's comments the NCAA was embarrassed enough to take into consideration the extra impact on athletes and changed their rules. Just one more reason the NCAA hates UConn.
 

HuskylnSC

North is a direction; South is a lifestyle
Joined
Mar 7, 2017
Messages
2,337
Reaction Score
11,855
In Senator Cory Booker's article on his Senate legislation to create a College Athletes Bill of Rights, Shabazz is pictured in a half-page photo -- and in the article specifically speaking of his interview about "going to bed hungry."

I know he spoke about the "hungry Huskies" after the '14 natty, but I always assumed that was an inference to the tournament penalty UConn received in 2013.

Anyone know of the interview where he said that?

What kind of sick system ever allowed this to happen?
The system is called the NCAA
 
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
8,266
Reaction Score
22,629
Can you get a Pell Grant if you are on full scholarship?
Yes. it's roughly $5k/year and is need-based. However, it's not a solution to the NIL problem.

1) All of the players aren't eligible. So a star athlete who helps increase revenues, but whose parent(s) isn't/aren't living in poverty isn't eligible.
2) Pell grants come from the federal government, meaning the taxpayers, why should taxpayers subsidize athletes in lieu of the NCAA allowing them to earn their own income?

These aren't the only two arguments against the Pell Grant being a solution to the NIL problem.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
2,770
Reaction Score
7,959
Yes. it's roughly $5k/year and is need-based. However, it's not a solution to the NIL problem.

1) All of the players aren't eligible. So a star athlete who helps increase revenues, but whose parent(s) isn't/aren't living in poverty isn't eligible.
2) Pell grants come from the federal government, meaning the taxpayers, why should taxpayers subsidize athletes in lieu of the NCAA allowing them to earn their own income?

These aren't the only two arguments against the Pell Grant being a solution to the NIL problem.
Not saying it's a solution, nor taking a side on paying/not paying college athletes, but...

Pell grants are now over 6,300 per year. That's over 500/month and plenty of cash for a college kid who has everything covered IMO....so saying kids don't have any pocket money is probably mostly BS.
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
672
Reaction Score
3,646
If I remember he mentioned by the time he got home from basketball activities all of his school food options were closed.
I graduated in 2012, so I overlapped with Shabazz and these comments confused me then and confuse me now. A meal plan allowed you to have unlimited access to the dining halls to have as many meals as you wanted. Certain dining halls (I think Northwest was one of them) were open until 10 pm. Do athletes have a different meal plan than the rest of students that they can't go to the dining hall whenever they want? Was Shabazz at basketball activities every day until 10 pm?
 
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
8,266
Reaction Score
22,629
Not saying it's a solution, nor taking a side on paying/not paying college athletes, but...

Pell grants are now over 6,300 per year. That's over 500/month and plenty of cash for a college kid who has everything covered IMO....so saying kids don't have any pocket money is probably mostly BS.
You've already indicated you don't believe the recipients are actually deserving.

You still don't seem to understand that some, if not many, of the kids send some, if not all, of that money home to their family who needs it for basic living expenses like shelter, utilities, and food.

You also ignored the problem of taxpayers subsidizing kids/families simply because the NCAA refuses to allow them to earn their own money.

So pretending to know that college kids have plenty of cash is mostly BS.
 
Joined
Mar 16, 2013
Messages
215
Reaction Score
915
I graduated in 2012, so I overlapped with Shabazz and these comments confused me then and confuse me now. A meal plan allowed you to have unlimited access to the dining halls to have as many meals as you wanted. Certain dining halls (I think Northwest was one of them) were open until 10 pm. Do athletes have a different meal plan than the rest of students that they can't go to the dining hall whenever they want? Was Shabazz at basketball activities every day until 10 pm?
I wouldn’t know, but it’s possible
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
2,770
Reaction Score
7,959
You've already indicated you don't believe the recipients are actually deserving.

You still don't seem to understand that some, if not many, of the kids send some, if not all, of that money home to their family who needs it for basic living expenses like shelter, utilities, and food.

You also ignored the problem of taxpayers subsidizing kids/families simply because the NCAA refuses to allow them to earn their own money.

So pretending to know that college kids have plenty of cash is mostly BS.
BS?? I’m stating what is going on with grants. U r telling me how kids are spending the cash. How the hell do u know? Imo 600/mo is plenty of spending cash for a college kid
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
8,266
Reaction Score
22,629
BS?? I’m stating what is going on with grants. U r telling me how kids are spending the cash. How the hell do u know? Imo 600/mo is plenty of spending cash for a college kid
Hall said many of his teammates at Ohio State would send their Pell Grant checks to their families to help out at home.

“The temptation for the football player or the basketball player to sell a jersey or to take a check or cash from somebody illegally is there because they are struggling. They are struggling at home. What do you do when mom is living check-to-check, the lights aren’t on at home and you’re playing for this great university?”

The Pell Grant is a great thing. It’s also available to regular students, not just athletes. What you’re not understanding is that many of these kids send the money home to their family and they keep little, if any, of that money.

So yes, BS. Because you keep saying $600 is enough for a college kid, as if all of these kids are keeping $600/month.

I’ve given you evidence. You’re telling me your opinion on what is a suitable amount of money for them to have, without understanding that they aren’t always keeping the money. Because their families are struggling.

I’ve said that about 5 or 6 times. Hopefully it sinks in soon.
 
Joined
Nov 25, 2019
Messages
2,083
Reaction Score
6,553
Hall said many of his teammates at Ohio State would send their Pell Grant checks to their families to help out at home.

“The temptation for the football player or the basketball player to sell a jersey or to take a check or cash from somebody illegally is there because they are struggling. They are struggling at home. What do you do when mom is living check-to-check, the lights aren’t on at home and you’re playing for this great university?”

The Pell Grant is a great thing. It’s also available to regular students, not just athletes. What you’re not understanding is that many of these kids send the money home to their family and they keep little, if any, of that money.

So yes, BS. Because you keep saying $600 is enough for a college kid, as if all of these kids are keeping $600/month.

I’ve given you evidence. You’re telling me your opinion on what is a suitable amount of money for them to have, without understanding that they aren’t always keeping the money. Because their families are struggling.

I’ve said that about 5 or 6 times. Hopefully it sinks in soon.
I have friends from an SEC school, who dislike UConn because of what we've done to Kentucky and Florida in the last ten years, who asked me a legitimate question:
"If he's so cash strapped that he goes to bed hungry, is it because he's spending all his Pell Grant money on tattoos? "
That may be petty, and I don't like their attitude, but I couldn't answer the question.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
2,770
Reaction Score
7,959
Hall said many of his teammates at Ohio State would send their Pell Grant checks to their families to help out at home.

“The temptation for the football player or the basketball player to sell a jersey or to take a check or cash from somebody illegally is there because they are struggling. They are struggling at home. What do you do when mom is living check-to-check, the lights aren’t on at home and you’re playing for this great university?”

The Pell Grant is a great thing. It’s also available to regular students, not just athletes. What you’re not understanding is that many of these kids send the money home to their family and they keep little, if any, of that money.

So yes, BS. Because you keep saying $600 is enough for a college kid, as if all of these kids are keeping $600/month.

I’ve given you evidence. You’re telling me your opinion on what is a suitable amount of money for them to have, without understanding that they aren’t always keeping the money. Because their families are struggling.

I’ve said that about 5 or 6 times. Hopefully it sinks in soon.
I also know kids that went shopping for frivolous stuff and got tats when pell grants came in like any college kid flush with cash would do. The issue is whether kids on scholly have enough money to function. With pell grants they do. Pell grants are not intended to be a source of money for the family. Let that sink in
 
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
8,266
Reaction Score
22,629
I have friends from an SEC school, who dislike UConn because of what we've done to Kentucky and Florida in the last ten years, who asked me a legitimate question:
"If he's so cash strapped that he goes to bed hungry, is it because he's spending all his Pell Grant money on tattoos? "
That may be petty, and I don't like their attitude, but I couldn't answer the question.
how do you know he paid for the tattoos?
 

Online statistics

Members online
231
Guests online
2,142
Total visitors
2,373

Forum statistics

Threads
157,130
Messages
4,084,639
Members
9,979
Latest member
Texasfan01


Top Bottom