Recruiting…..The Dirtiest Business in Sports
Five USC student athletes participating in a range of sports say collegiate boosters and sports agents have offered them, or their colleagues, gifts ranging from cash to cars, in violation of NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) rules.
The players spoke on condition that their names, individual sport affiliations, and personal information would not be used, for fear that their collegiate and, in some cases, prospective professional careers might be at risk.
The NCAA was unavailable for comment.
The five athletes described situations where they or their colleagues were offered inducements during the recruiting process from high school to college.
Most said that the attention from sports agents occurs deeper into collegiate careers.
The players indicated that most college athletes can’t get out of the stadium or go to a club without being approached by numerous agents.
Of the five athletes interviewed, three said they had personally been offered gifts including cash, clothes, cars, and other personal items.
Two stated they had not been offered gifts, but had seen or heard first-hand other players being enticed with items during recruiting.
And another said that he had not been offered any enticements, but believes that the perks are definitely there, if a player wants it.
The athletes were all in agreement that although high school recruiting may not be clean, the process is acceptable because it’s all on a level playing field. But the players provided mixed comments with respect to the big business of agency recruiting, saying that sometimes the agencies go way too far.
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