WASHINGTON, D.C. - Howard University said Wednesday that it is conducting an internal investigation into possible NCAA violations committed by its athletic department.
In an e-mail, school spokeswoman Kerry-Ann Hamilton said the school has “temporarily withheld a number of student-athletes from competition as a self-imposed action. Most teams will compete as scheduled.”
According to a Howard softball player, the school is investigating the practice by which some of its student-athletes acquire their textbooks. The student said some athletes apparently were pocketing the difference between the cost of their textbooks and their textbook allowance.
The softball player and a former Howard football player, who both requested anonymity so they could speak freely without fear of repercussion, said this was a common practice for all of the school’s athletic teams.
“It’s been going on for a long time,” the softball player said. “A good majority of the athletes were taking advantage of this. There were some people who were saving the money. They didn’t spend it. Or some would go buy frivolous things, nothing that relates to school. Some people bought books and other school supplies.”
Note: Most NCAA revenue comes from a 14-year, $10.8 billion agreement with Turner Broadcasting and CBS Sports for rights to the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Projected NCAA revenue for 2011-12 is $777 million, $700 million of which (90 percent) is projected to come from media rights payments
And these opportunistic business men and women are concerned about a poor University student-athlete getting $40 - $100 bucks to pay for school supplies, clothes or a few dollars to order a pizza. Give me a break for crying out loud. Change the rule and pay all NCAA players a stipend beyond their normal school scholarship expenses. Then you won't have to worry about these silly rules that keep the players broke during their entire college careers.
(beepbeep)
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