116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Delany rests his case
Jul. 28, 2014 7:12 pm
CHICAGO - Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany offered neither rebuttals like his peers nor new initiatives as he had in the past at the annual Big Ten media day event. But like a final summation in a court of law, Delany called for NCAA restructuring the way a classicly trained attorney rests his case.
Delany unveiled his call for stipends three years ago before it was shut down by the currently unwieldy NCAA membership. Last year Delany introduced a four-part plan that would upgrade scholarships to the full cost of attendance, academically red-shirt all athletes, strengthen time demands on students and provide a lifetime trust for athletes to earn college degrees. Delany and the Big Ten advocates for four-year scholarships, instead of the current one-year renewable contracts.
Monday, Delany stood on his past statements without proposing a new agenda. He predicted a positive vote for autonomy on Aug. 7, allowing college athletics' five major conferences to enact its own legislation pertaining to welfare or financial issues.
'I think it will pass, and I think that the list of autonomous issues will be sufficient,” Delany said. 'And if it doesn't, I really don't know what we would do except probably have some conversations in each of our conferences and come back, huddle up and see what the next steps are.
'But I do anticipate that it will pass. I do anticipate that it will capture the autonomy issues that are important to us for assisting our student‑athletes in the 21st century in a way that makes sense. And I would be very surprised if it doesn't pass.”
Recent rules changes now allow schools to provide unlimited meals for athletes, unlike before universities supplied one meal and paid for other meals through scholarships. Fully funding scholarships to the cost of education would provide anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000 for each student.
Many players said they had discussions about some of the new measures, but most added that they were concerned with football than with those topics, including money.
'It's more money obviously,” Minnesota safety Cedric Thompson said. 'I feel we get enough money. I'm really grateful for what I have.”
'Kids are saying we're starving and that stuff,” Michigan defensive end Frank Clark said. 'We do get rent checks if you live off campus and you're on scholarship.”
But the issues are beyond just NCAA rules changes. Last year, a regional National Labor Relations Board office ruled Northwestern football players could be considered employees and be allowed to unionize. Northwestern has appealed the decision to the national board. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald said the turmoil has galvanized his troops, rather than divided them.
'We've been through more since probably January than most, and it's been nothing but a positive and nothing more than unifying in our locker room and throughout our entire football program,” Fitzgerald said.
When it comes to unionization, Delany declined to offer a defense. Instead, he deferred.
'So it certainly was interesting and surprising, but again not shocking given the world we live in,” he said. 'It's so dynamic. And we're interested to see, again, the thing go through the process that we have in our country, which is a process of law and dispute resolution, which is fair and reasonable, and we'll work with whatever outcomes are there. And as it goes through, we'll present our position in a vigorous way.”
l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@sourcemedia.net