Truly Friends with Benefits?

[huskymedic]

Long article but here's the gist:

"Robert Nkemdiche, the son of immigrants, is proving himself to be a great first-generation American. The defensive end from Loganville, Ga., is the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2013. He already has committed to sign with Clemson in February along with two of his Grayson High teammates. That commitment is non-binding, but Nkemdiche is using the only leverage he has to negotiate the best deal for himself and his friends.
"I am waiting on Clemson to offer Ryan," Nkemdiche told the excellent Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "When that happens, it's locked ... it's a done deal ... it's over."

Ryan is Ryan Carter, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound Grayson defensive back. If Carter received and accepted an offer from Clemson, it would bring the total of former Grayson players planning to attend Clemson to five. Tailback Wayne Gallman and defensive back David Kamara committed to the Tigers before Nkemdiche, and former Grayson quarterback Nick Schuessler has given up his scholarship at Mississippi State to become a preferred walk-on at Clemson.

If it sounds like a five-for-one deal, that's because it probably is. College coaches consider the 6-5, 260-pound Nkemdiche a future star. The son of an Atlanta physician father and a Nigerian politician mother already looks like an NFL veteran. He seems capable of negotiating like one, too."

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...n-scholarship-demand/index.html#ixzz1zwlUceRg

I get it and I also understand that it is becoming more and more like bug business where all bets are off - but don't have to like it. Dangerous territory... Some of the comments are interesting.

 

[Buffett10]

It's not unheard of for players to do that for their friends. I personally know a ct kid requested a packaged deal for him and 3 of his teammates.

 

[huskymedic]

It's not unheard of for players to do that for their friends. I personally know a ct kid requested a packaged deal for him and 3 of his teammates.

Did he get it?

I get the "roommate theory" and even +1 but to do it so bluntly is what caught my attention. "... If you don't I may have to give Ole Miss a closer look"

 

[MilliniumPrince]

This is nothing new. Just move people out there to report these stories. I am impressed he is savvy enough to use his leverage while he has it. Good for him!

 

[huskymedic]

This is nothing new. Just move people out there to report these stories. I am impressed he is savvy enough to use his leverage while he has it. Good for him!

I understand that "package deals" have been around forever - outright extortion hasn't been as visible to my eye (and maybe you are right that it's just being reported more in this new social media/knee-jerk journalism society.)

Is what it is... I'm jumping off my soapbox now.

 

[SubbaBub]

I understand that "package deals" have been around forever - outright extortion hasn't been as visible to my eye (and maybe you are right that it's just being reported more in this new social media/knee-jerk journalism society.)

Is what it is... I'm jumping off my soapbox now.

And it isn't too far away from, "My mom could really use a job at the university, or my girlfriend wants a band scholarship."

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Good for him. If Clemson thinks the kid is worth a few schollies then so be it.

 

[Buffett10]

Yes the coaches gave his 3 teammates schollies. Only one of the three are still at the school so it worked out for the school because they got the player they wanted and 2 scholarships freed up a yr later.

 

[businesslawyer]

Did he get it?

I get the "roommate theory" and even +1 but to do it so bluntly is what caught my attention. "... If you don't I may have to give Ole Miss a closer look"

What exactly is your moral issue with this? A lawyer can't join a bigger firm only if they take his core group that he practices with? A doctor can't join a hospital if they won't buy his whole practice? A man can't conditional a marraige proposal to a second wife on her acceptance that his kids will live with them half the time? Life is full of negotiations and conditions. I'm hard pressed to understand what you have a problem with.

Is it that a player can't use leverage? Because schools use it on players every day.

 

[rich1122]

This is a Tie In contract no? That's all I ever remembered form my Business law class.

 

[huskymedic]

What exactly is your moral issue with this? A lawyer can't join a bigger firm only if they take his core group that he practices with? A doctor can't join a hospital if they won't buy his whole practice? A man can't conditional a marraige proposal to a second wife on her acceptance that his kids will live with them half the time? Life is full of negotiations and conditions. I'm hard pressed to understand what you have a problem with.

Is it that a player can't use leverage? Because schools use it on players every day.

I'm not sure i have a moral issue w/ it BL. I guess it's just the overall direction that college athletics is heading that chafs me. The sense of entitlement by folks, that student athletes are being taken advantage of, the lack of loyalty, all the old time values gone by the wayside in this win at all cost environment increasing,y uneven playing fields, etc... And yes, it is a two way street. I guess in the end, the coaches and AD's need to do the cost benefit/risk analysis on how much they want to kowtow to these prima donnas and what precedents they set.

I know times and society has changed, I see it everyday in my workforce - I won't lose sleep tonight over this trust me.

 

[businesslawyer]

I'm not sure i have a moral issue w/ it BL. I guess it's just the overall direction that college athletics is heading that chafs me. The sense of entitlement by folks, that student athletes are being taken advantage of, the lack of loyalty, all the old time values gone by the wayside in this win at all cost environment increasing,y uneven playing fields, etc... And yes, it is a two way street. I guess in the end, the coaches and AD's need to do the cost benefit/risk analysis on how much they want to kowtow to these prima donnas and what precedents they set.

I know times and society has changed, I see it everyday in my workforce - I won't lose sleep tonight over this trust me.

Well, I agree with you as to the direction in which college athletics is going, but I would put almost none of it on the student athletes.

 

[Srqhusky]

Are scholarships guaranteed for four years . If Clemson signs all of them then red shirts all but the star player can the other three be cut, they are looking for playing time and if he chooses to transfer he has to sit out a year. So he and the school have to weigh this carefully or it could get ugly. Be careful with leverage.

 

[huskymedic]

Another view... http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...p-proposal-to-clemson-isnt-noble-its-indecent

It seemd like the pro/con opinion is running 50-50.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Another view... http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...p-proposal-to-clemson-isnt-noble-its-indecent

It seemd like the pro/con opinion is running 50-50.

This is the first column I've seen critical of the kid.

My whole thing is that once Signing Day comes and your signature is on the dotted line......you no longer have any leverage at all. Your coach leaves, tough luck...sit a year. Want to transfer to another conference school. Forget it. After you sign, the coach can tell you where you can and cannot attend if you plan on transferring.

So I have no issue with this at all. Like I said before....Clemson will have to live with the consequences of spending 4 scholarships on 1 kid. It may pay off, it may not. Who knows?

Fortunately for Clemson, it looks like the kid's big mouth may have saved them from having to offer the 4th schollie to his buddy.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

LMAO at the kid "extorting" Clemson for $37,000. What a joke. The kid is trying to look out for some of his buddies and you know what, good for him.

The NCAA and College Football makes millions of these kids and now people are going to feign outrage over a kid trying to get his buddy a college football scholarship, for all of $37,000 a year.

How about Clemson making $15M a year in tv revenue or how about Clemson making $20M+ for the ACC from their Orange Bowl appearance. This doesn't even include ticket sales, merchandising, etc.

The kid has leverage and we can debate whether or not it's good for the future of college football recruiting, but to say the kid is doing anything wrong and acting like Clemson and other colleges are the victims is ludicrous.

 

[huskymedic]

LMAO at the kid "extorting" Clemson for $37,000. What a joke. The kid is trying to look out for some of his buddies and you know what, good for him.

The NCAA and College Football makes millions of these kids and now people are going to feign outrage over a kid trying to get his buddy a college football scholarship, for all of $37,000 a year.

How about Clemson making $15M a year in tv revenue or how about Clemson making $20M+ for the ACC from their Orange Bowl appearance. This doesn't even include ticket sales, merchandising, etc.

The kid has leverage and we can debate whether or not it's good for the future of college football recruiting, but to say the kid is doing anything wrong and acting like Clemson and other colleges are the victims is ludicrous.

It's more like $750k +/- ($37k times 4 years times 5 scholarships) but I get the point. Look - I'm not the morality police, I just find it an interesting discussion and I'm really tired of just discussing realignment and when the Rent should be expanded) I fully understand that in alot of cases - the student athlete gets shafted by the major programs (if you marginalize a free education) but where does the line get drawn - when the in-coming freshman wants to do the two deeps and defensive schemes as well? God bless him if he pulls it off but I'll bet a few $10 import beers @ the Rent that this does not have a happy ending over the next few years.BTW - The use of extort in a legal sense was not intended (shakedown would be a better term .