An FBI probe reignited the debate over whether collegiate basketball players should be compensated. But Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman has one suggestion that could fix the issue: let top athletes go to the NBA straight out of high school.
“I think that if these top players can start earning those big dollars more quickly, that would be an instant correction,” she said Wednesday. “And that would help, as well, in the kinds of issues that were surfaced in this criminal investigation.”
Her argument echoes the sentiment of ACC Commissioner John Swofford, who on Tuesday told Cheddar there should not be a pay-for-play system in college sports.
The statements come as the federal government investigates recruiting agents and more than 20 Division I schools for giving players under-the-table bonuses or other perks, violating NCAA rules.
Some say that the NCAA, which generated more than $1 billion in revenue in the year ending in [August 31, 2017](http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2016-17NCAAFin_FinancialStatement_20180129.pdf), should pay student athletes. But Ackerman told Cheddar that players get other kinds of compensation.
“I was a student athlete at the University of Virginia. I got my education paid for, we didn’t make any money,” she said. “There’s a quid pro quo that I don’t think gets talked about enough.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-big-east-tournament-returns-to-madison-square-garden).
Retired NASCAR driver Danica Patrick had to race back to the U.S. as the coronavirus pandemic began to spread. As the brand ambassador for, and investor in, Beam CBD, Patrick suggested cannabidiol products may be able help during this stressful time.
The IOC announced a first-of-its-kind postponement of the Summer Olympics on Tuesday, bowing to the realities of a coronavirus pandemic that is shutting down daily life around the globe and making planning for a massive worldwide gathering in July a virtual impossibility.
NASCAR and IndyCar have postponed their weekend schedules at Atlanta Motor Speedway and St. Petersburg, Florida, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Boston Marathon has been postponed for five months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The race is sacrificing its customary Patriots Day start in the hopes of preserving the uninterrupted 124-year tradition of the world's most prestigious long-distance run.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, March 13, 2020.
Kate Delaney, author and host of NBC Sports Radio sus
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee discussed how athletes can only focus on what they have control over in terms of the Tokyo games, and that women in sports need to keep pressing for change.
Heather Hardy, pro boxer, has a petition urging the World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Council to remove the word 'female' from boxing championship belts.
Rapper Offset talked to Cheddar about providing opportunities and building community through his partnership with esport organization FaZe Clan.
Authorities are investigating whether deputies shared graphic photos of the helicopter crash scene where Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven others were killed, according to a newspaper report.
