Garcia: The gift that keeps on giving ...

quote:

---

Former South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia, now a member of the college football media at Saturday Down South, is not scared to share some war stories from life in the seedy underbelly of the SEC.

During a radio interview on WFNZ in Charlotte, Garcia argued against the rules preventing players from benefiting financially on their likeness.

"Absolutely, I don't see why that's such a punishable offense," Garcia said. "I think it's absolutely ridiculous that these kids can't profit from their name, their likeness, sign their name on their own jersey. I don't understand that and I really hope that rule changes. It's mind-boggling to me, to be honest with you."

The hosts then asked how frequently Garcia saw players getting money in handshakes or in exchange for autographs or memorabilia and also whether the South Carolina quarterback took part in the impermissible benefits. His response warranted a chuckle from the hosts.

"I saw it all day, every day to be honest with you. I wish they came to me, but they thought of me as some rich white kid so I didn't really get benefits from that. I'm just being honest with you. I saw it firsthand with a lot of players and talking with other guys. You know I'm friends with a lot of players from around the SEC, and talking with them, it makes the Todd Gurley thing seem insignificant by a long shot."

Garcia was then pressed to share the most amount of money he heard of in a autograph-related transaction. His answer: "$160,000 for one season" of autographs and the like.

You can check out the full audio of the interview via Mac Attack on WFNZ in Charlotte. https://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2014/10/16/stephen-garcia-most-sec-programs-have-players-getting-some-cash/

---