How to Rid College Athletics of Corruption & Hypocrisy (Somewhat)

USC is in trouble. Ohio State is in trouble. Georgia is in trouble. And now the University of Miami - that bastion of glitz, bravado, and snarling in-your-face spite long known as "The U" - is in deep, deep trouble. All of these institutions, in one form or another, fell prey to student-athletes - mostly football players - accepting impermissible benefits.

As much as I dislike some of these programs, I don't judge or laugh at them (well, maybe just a chuckle) for two main reasons: 1.) Karma's a beeotch and I pray the athletes at Notre Dame don't give in to these temptations; and 2.) the entire system is corrupt.

What you have here is universities making MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of dollars and fans, myself included, who root fiercely for the guys from my school to beat the guys from your school. Often times the guys doing the beating (playing) are from poor cities and neighborhoods. Even if they're not truly impoverished, many are certainly not well-off.

And the NCAA will not allow them to hold down jobs like their classmates. Coaches want them practicing and playing as often as possible. Meanwhile universities are raking it in via sponsorships, ticket sales, licensing fees, and so much more.

It's no wonder these kids - and they are 18 to 21-year old kids - give in to the first scumbag offering a free meal, or fast car, or even cash.

This is not to justify any student-athletes who break the rules. Especially at Miami, where the freebies allegedly extended to prostitution and lavish parties.

But haven't we heard this song before? Programs have been busted for infractions since the early 1900's. In 1979 Texas A&M gave Eric Dickerson a gold Trans-Am that he eschewed for a bigger, though to this day still unspecified, bribe at Southern Methodist University. SMU eventually was nailed with the so-called "death penalty".

Michigan's Fab Five took dough. Reggie Bush accepted a free crib for his parents. In the mid- to late 90s some Irish players got the school in trouble, though the university acted pretty swiftly to prevent further damage.

The biggest problem is AGENTS. And agents only have a foothold because these athletes, like all students, need money! It's that simple.

My proposal, and granted it's very simplistic, is pay all student-athletes a stipend. Pay the high-revenue sports of football and basketball a higher stipend. That's all some want. Some will be greedy and want more, I know, but you're eliminating the agent as their main source of income.

The other problem, besides slimeball agents, is guys like Bush, Terrelle Pryor, and probably Cam Newton who leave behind a scorched earth. They do wrong, make it to the pros, and their alma mater is left cleaning up the huge mess. Their has to be some sort of legislation, either politically or as a partnership between the NCAAs and pro leagues, that punishes fraudulent student-athletes who become pro athletes.

The hardest part would be regulating a play-for-pay system. And I still believe 99% of the student-athletes are clean and not on the take. But that 1% are ruining programs and it's because we hold on to this obsolete theory that a scholarship is enough. It's not enough and the agents have invaded. Pay the players some of the millions they are earning for you.