It’s a new world for college football players: You want the NIL cash? Take the criticism.

We have to stop this madness, this reactionary dog pile because the mean man has suddenly hurt the feelings of innocent players getting paid to play football.

Players wanted this setup — pay for play, free player movement, the right to choose their playing destiny — and now they’ve got it.

And everything that goes with it.

“We’ve got to find a guy,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said after the Tigers’ loss to Arkansas last weekend, “That won’t throw it to the other team.”

And here I am, a strong advocate for player rights, pay for play and defacto free agency in college football, wondering what in the world is wrong with that criticism of the Auburn quarterbacks?

Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne (1) throws the ball against Arkansas during their game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.

You can’t demand to be treated like an adult, and expect to be coddled like a child.

You can’t expect to be paid top dollar and given a starting job, then get upset when a coach uses criticism to motivate you.

You can’t negotiate multimillion dollar NIL deals and be given free movement with the ability to wreck rosters, and be immune to criticism.

In this rapidly-changing, ever-ranging billion dollar business — the likes of which we’ve never seen before — coaches with multimillion dollar contracts are held accountable. Why wouldn’t players be, too?

If UNLV quarterback Matthew Sulka has the business acumen and public relations sense to announce he’s sitting the remainder of the season because NIL promises weren’t kept — the ultimate leverage move while playing for an unbeaten team — these guys aren’t emotionally fragile. They can handle public criticism.

The idea that coaches can’t say the quiet part out loud in this player-friendly environment is utterly ridiculous.

Auburn…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/world-college-football-players-want-161754093.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-25 16:17:54

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