Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE yond the standard tuition, books, room and board provided by a traditional scholarship. It also wants a stipend for the players to help offset some personal costs at school, and post-graduate medi- cal care — a fair request given the grow- ing concern and awareness of the long- term effects of concussions and head trauma in sports. Irish head coach Brian Kelly under- standably rode the fence when asked about how the vote at Northwestern might someday impact his program at Notre Dame, saying he supports what- ever is best for the players, but he's not sure treating student-athletes as workers is the proper course. "I'm a teacher, I'm an educator. I'm more interested in relationships based on player-coach than employee," Kelly said, adding this is not an issue he will discuss with his team, at least not yet. At the core of the unionization push is the players' desire to be "fairly" compen- sated for their competitive efforts that stuff millions of dollars into the pockets of athletic directors, coaches and NCAA administrators. According to a study by Forbes re- leased in December 2013, the Notre Dame football program is worth $117 million — second only to the University of Texas ($139 million) — a monetary figure that fertilizes a potential battle- field if player unions become the norm in college athletics and find their way to Notre Dame. In a story for CSNChicago.com, for- mer Irish linebacker Dan Fox said he appreciated his time and scholarship at Notre Dame, but the multi-millions of dollars the university made selling su- perstar teammate Manti Te'o jerseys is "just not fair." "How many No. 5 Notre Dame jerseys were bought at the bookstore … and [Te'o] didn't see a cent for it," Fox said. The possible outcomes to this poten- tial standoff between the NCAA and its student-athletes are limitless. The most drastic would be for the NCAA to declare that any player — union member or otherwise — who would accept additional benefits, includ- ing a stipend or workers' compensation, would be ruled ineligible to play and have their scholarship revoked. On the other side of the spectrum, if the players' union gains enough power, it could strike over compensation or other benefit disagreements, creating the possibility of universities being slapped with workers' compensation lawsuits from injured players such that the in- surance premiums and/or settlements would become too great to sustain an athletic program. The final landing spot will likely fall in between these two extreme scenarios. And adopting a reasonable stipend plan and some long-term medical benefits for the athletes is a great place to start. Notre Dame, Northwestern and all other interested parties will have to wait and see how this saga unfolds, and that could take months or even years. But any initiative aimed at busting up the NCAA's ultra-wealthy good-ole-boys' network needs to be celebrated. ✦ Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com