NCAA purists are quick to cry foul at players receiving any type of financial benefits, so chances are that former Texas Longhorns quarterback Chris Simms has just drawn their wrath.
Filling in for former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber on CBS Sports Radio’s Tiki and Tierney, Simms did not deny that he may have received “special handshakes” from time to time.
“They didn’t pay me, but there may have been cash going around to some other players,” said Simms. “I’m not going to deny that. I may have gotten a few $100 handshakes every now and then to sign some autographs for alumni.
“I don’t care how rich your upbringing was. Yes, I grew up with a silver spoon, but if you give me a few extra $100 as a college kid, that’s great.”
Though the NCAA strictly forbids its “student-athletes” from receiving financial benefits for playing their respective sports, there are certainly worse things that could happen besides accepting a $100 bill here and there just to sign a few autographs. Were he taking money from boosters and throwing wild parties while skipping classes and the like, and maybe engaging in some shady activities on top of that, then it’d be a problem.
But for people to raise a stink over college athletes taking a small fee to sign autographs is ridiculous and most important of all, Simms’ admission shouldn’t surprise anyone. Even former Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel got caught accepting money for the same service, and he only drew a suspension for the first half of one game.
The long and short of it is that even though it will for some people, this story shouldn’t be one to ruffle any feathers. If anything, it’s another sign that we need to start talking about financially compensating college athletes.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to Ronald Martinez, Getty Images
