Houston Texans’ running back Arian Foster has already been in the news this NFL season when he discussed his role following the team’s opener a few weeks ago. He again headlines on Friday when it was revealed that he took benefits while in college at Tennessee. He recently made the comments in a documentary on college athletics.
It’s unclear yet what ramifications the admission will have on the Volunteers’ football program, but with Foster in the NFL, the only real punishment we’ll see out of this (if any) is against Tennessee. Foster, who played for the Vols from 2005 – 2008, could have just cost his program some wins in the record book. He likely won’t be punished himself, though.
In the comments, Foster talks about not having enough money to eat or pay rent and having boosters around the program support him. The debate of whether college athletes should be paid will again rear its ugly head, but what can’t be argued is that said athletes do in fact receive some form of compensation. While much of the general population pays for student loans years after being out of school, athletes can leave free of that debt.
Foster, and others, have made several good points about others profiting from their talent. There’s little question that the high-revenue sports in college athletics raise an incredible amount of funding for their respective schools. The argument about paying NCAA athletes, though, really opens up an entire can of worms. Should some athletes be paid more than others simply because they’re in a high-revenue sport? Should stars be paid more than reserves, or even other starters? Should members of the band and cheerleading squads that put in a significant amount of work be compensated?
It’s a complex issue that can’t be easily addressed. Foster’s comments, though, will once again add fuel to the fire.
