In a one-on-one interview with Bleacher Report, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen covered a number of topics. Coming off a shoulder injury that he spent the better part of last year rehabbing, the junior out of Manhattan Beach, Calif. spoke at length about the grueling world of Division I football and college athletics.
Surprisingly candid, he didn’t exactly advocate for the “student-athlete” model that the NCAA seeks to enforce. Rather, he said that playing competitive football, and carrying a full course load at school are simply incompatible.
“Look, football and school don’t go together. They just don’t. Trying to do both is like trying to do two full-time jobs.” Rosen said. “There are guys who have no business being in school, but they’re here because this is the path to the NFL. There’s no other way. Then there’s the other side that says raise the SAT eligibility requirements. OK, raise the SAT requirement at Alabama and see what kind of team they have. You lose athletes and then the product on the field suffers.”
With the focus of keeping players eligible and keeping them on the field, Rosen feels that universities aren’t doing enough to help students succeed in the classroom.
With so few of the players who pay at the collegiate level ever appearing in an NFL, chances are high that most players will not make their living in football. For all the money that the NCAA turns off of the students who play in the games, Rosen feels they should do more to help them prepare for life after football.
Issues in keeping players academically eligible has been an issue as long as there has been a governing body to enforce said rules. With full, exhausting days of practice and workouts, it’s often difficult to take care of business of the field.
Rosen said that he hopes to have a long, 15-year NFL career. With a number of interests in things outside of football, many have wondered if Rosen has the drive to compete at the highest level.
He’ll get a chance to prove himself when he returns to action with the Bruins on Sept. 3 against the Texas A&M Aggies.
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