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).
Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes and Miami's Tyreek Hill are among the NFL players who have shown interest in playing for an American flag football team since the sport was added to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
The Detroit Pistons became the league’s first team to lose 27 straight games in a season, falling 118-112 to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
Netflix released a trailer for 'Captains of the World," the documentary that follows the drama-filled 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Simone Biles was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year.
Famed Harlem Globetrotter Too Tall Winston dunked into Yale New Haven Children's Hospital to brighten the day for a special group of children.
Prized free-agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a $325 million, 12-year contract, according to multiple reports. Yamamoto is set to join Japanese countryman Shohei Ohtani.
Two-time Olympic ice skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan is back on her skates this holiday season in the Holiday Spectacular on Ice at the Gateway Playhouse in Bellport, N.Y.
A strong back is critical for body health. To start, try the Bird Dog!
Kickboxing may seem like a tough sport, but one woman is proof that it can change your life.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. says the team is satisfied with the NBA’s latest punishment for Green, the four-time NBA champion who was indefinitely banned Wednesday after hitting Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic in the face.
