ESPN550.com
Head coach Rich Rodriguez tearfully defended his Michigan football program yesterday amid allegations that the Wolverines routinely break NCAA rules regarding the time players are involved in football-related activities.
His claim about deeply caring for his players has absolutely nothing to do with the charges being leveled against Michigan.
But before pointing the finger strictly at Michigan, be aware that the Wolverines are not alone in ignoring the NCAA limitations of a maximum 20 hours in-season and eight hours off-season devoted to mandatory football-related activities.
In a 2007 SI.com survey of 119 Division I-A starters, 46 percent estimated they spent at least 40 hours per week during the season on football-related activities.
That's the equivalent of a full-time job for football players in addition to their required academic work. Rest assured, that the players were not putting in those extra hours on a voluntary basis.
The NCAA is investigating the Michigan mess. But this probe should run deeper and incorporate a comprehensive look at what is very obviously a wide-spread practice of illegal practices in college football.
Frankly, the NCAA should end its charade of sanctimoniously describing players as student-athletes. Based on the time players are actually being required to practice, it would be more accurate to call them what they really are – namely, athlete-students.
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