Texas Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger expressed support for a congressional bill that would modify the NCAA’s current definition and allowances for amateur athletes.
Here are the tweets Ehlinger sent in support of the bill:
Within this internship, you risk your short-term and long-term health on a daily basis. You endure this internship with less than a 2% chance to advance in your industry and obtain a full-time paid job.
— Sam Ehlinger (@sehlinger3) March 7, 2019
Don’t get me wrong, I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to get an incredible degree and play the sport I love at such a prestigious University. I am extremely blessed.
— Sam Ehlinger (@sehlinger3) March 8, 2019
Rep. Mark Walker of North Carolina plans to introduce legislation next week called the Student-Athlete Equity Act. The bill would call for the NCAA to allow student-athletes to profit off of their image and likeness while they are in school. Current NCAA rules do not allow that.
There are arguments for and against such a bill. In support, there are some student-athletes who achieve star status in college and under current rules have no ability to capitalize on that, which seems unfair. Against it, allowing student-athletes to profit off their name and likeness could open matters up to corruption where money to pay the players is organized through these deals. The idea of amateurism could also be affected; student-athletes are supposed to mostly worry about school and sports, but this might also necessitate student-athletes to make business choices and decisions, like hiring agents, financial managers, and lawyers to handle these deals. That’s a lot for a young student-athlete to have to consider, and the NCAA wants to protect its student-athletes from such matters.
