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Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:00 am to UnsureTiger
quote:
The problem is that not only can the SEC not define this, but their own definition and standard changed at least 5 times during the hearing.
At the beginning the judge flat out asked the SEC attorney "what is amateurism" and the attorney said he couldn't answer at that time, but would answer later. He never ended up answering that question.
Sankey had multiple occasions where he moved the goalpost on what a professional is. After attempting dodge the question he eventually was forced to give some kind of an answer.
For basketball he said players that come from professional leagues overseas may not be professionals because some of them play for clubs. He said G League players are professional players, but anyone who plays through the full summer league is not a professional. These were just his opinions and clearly not based on any facts.
The NCAA helped create this mess with its late ruling granting some athletes five years of eligibility.
The bigger issue is that everyone is kidding themselves if they don't consider many of these athletes professionals. In court today, Greg Sankey testified that he makes about $4.8 million per year, yet he could not define what a professional athlete is. The SEC's definition seemed to change throughout the hearing depending on the circumstance.
At this point, many college athletes have agents, negotiate compensation, sign NIL deals worth millions, transfer for better financial opportunities, and are treated more like professionals than amateurs.
Reported NIL valuations for elite college football players:
Arch Manning (Texas): ~$5.4M
Sam Leavitt (LSU): ~$4.0M
Bryce Underwood (Michigan): ~$3.1M
Dante Moore (Oregon): ~$3.0M
John Mateer (Oklahoma): ~$2.8M
Julian Sayin (Ohio State): ~$2.4M
Top non-QBs: $1M to $4M+
Many Power Conference starters: $500K to $2M+
Coaches have stated in interviews that players are increasingly managed like professionals, with compensation tied to obligations and performance. When athletes have agents, negotiate contracts, earn seven figures, and in some cases make more than conference commissioners, the amateur label no longer reflects reality.
Maybe the reason no one wants to clearly define a "professional athlete" is because doing so would force them to admit what college sports has already become.
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:01 am to RockyRococco
quote:
a player getting paid millions of dollars is an amateur... but a guy getting gas money is a professional.
That was basically the SEC's argument yesterday.
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:04 am to lsupride87
quote:
The SEC also told the court yesterday they couldn’t define amateur
Just wait until they selectively start making new rules for basketball season to make up for the dumb shite that Sankey said on the stand.
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:10 am to UnsureTiger
quote:
At the beginning the judge flat out asked the SEC attorney "what is amateurism" and the attorney said he couldn't answer at that time, but would answer later. He never ended up answering that question.
Wow.
So in its bid to grab power, the SEC has damaged its brand and proven itself to be as feckless and toothless as the NCAA.
Shrewd.
This post was edited on 9/4/26 at 7:14 am
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:12 am to UnsureTiger
quote:
For basketball he said players that come from professional leagues overseas may not be professionals because some of them play for clubs. He said G League players are professional players,
So why isn’t he also suing Bama?
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:15 am to TigerLunatik
If a professional is anyone who received a dollar (assume NIL doesn’t apply), the other kids that went to minicamp (some signed a deal, some received stipends=money). This would impact at least half the SEC schools.
If you received money as a ‘professional’ and you had a player step onto the court/field, then the SEC must apply equivalent penalties. If the great Alabama didn’t receive punishment for playing a basketball professional, the precedent is established.
If you received money as a ‘professional’ and you had a player step onto the court/field, then the SEC must apply equivalent penalties. If the great Alabama didn’t receive punishment for playing a basketball professional, the precedent is established.
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:16 am to TigerLunatik
quote:
Unfortunately, that doesn't work in this case because the players were not given the oppurtunity to stay in school and a lot would have if they had that choice. Sankey embarrassed everyone yesterday and no one was a winner. It is a fricking mess that the NCAA created and now here we are about to go into week 1 and this is the biggest storyline. It's absurd.
I like this. This is how Cole Hutson was able to be approved to roster at Texas, no contract. What you explain makes sense and seems fair to a player trying out for the NFL. This of course would only applies to the class of 2022. I guess after this year, things will be clear, youu have 5 years to play whatever, and anytime you leave from now on, you have to declare and your college playing days are over.
IMO, if a 5th year player didn't make an NFL week 1 roster he should be allowed to come back this year.
This post was edited on 9/4/26 at 7:19 am
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:25 am to Naked Bootleg
quote:
How about this: if you signed an NFL contract, you are no longer an amateur and cannot go back to CFB. So if a player was invited to minicamp or a tryout in UDFA status but didn't make a roster (requires a contract), they should still be eligible to play as an amateur. We shouldn't equate the 'contract' (see: waiver) required for minicamp attendance with a professional contract.
In regards to the 22 class who had no choice but to take their shot at the NFL even though the players in the lawsuit are fringe practice squad players at best…Laughable to see people try to rationalize rookie minicamp then cut = ok but participating in preseason then cut = not ok. Preseason football is a joke and not taken seriously. People are acting like these guys played 5 years in the NFL and want to come back.
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:25 am to Victor R Franko
quote:
This of course would only applies to the class of 2022
Absolutely. Anyone else tries this shite after this year and I will have a very different opinion than I do of this class and that is regardless if LSU is invovled or not.
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:27 am to TigerLunatik
quote:
we are about to go into week 1 and this is the biggest storyline. It's absurd.
This is the real shame.
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:29 am to UnsureTiger
Not reading all that cope.
PUT EM OUT FAM!!!
PUT EM OUT FAM!!!
This post was edited on 9/4/26 at 8:39 am
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:29 am to TigerLunatik
quote:
Absolutely. Anyone else tries this shite after this year and I will have a very different opinion than I do of this class and that is regardless if LSU is invovled or not.
LSU is being bullied by a Baton Rouge judge that decided LSU must roster players who returned from the NFL…
Players who didn’t even play for LSU last year.
This post was edited on 9/4/26 at 7:30 am
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:31 am to bluestem75
quote:
The SEC also could not prove that these players were ineligible under their own rule (12.6).
He shouldn't have to because they are ineligible under the 5 for 5 rule. Regardless of pro status!
5 for 5
This post was edited on 9/4/26 at 7:33 am
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:33 am to UnsureTiger
Unsure,
I heard Tony crossed Sankey with the Chambliss situation. Did he ask him why a 5th year player who made $190 is ineligible, but a 6th year player making $5 million is eligible? How did that line of questioning play out?
I heard Tony crossed Sankey with the Chambliss situation. Did he ask him why a 5th year player who made $190 is ineligible, but a 6th year player making $5 million is eligible? How did that line of questioning play out?
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:34 am to Gings5
quote:
These are not professional athletes coming back to college like some on here want to make it out to be. They are college athletes who didn’t know they had another year of eligibility and didn’t make an NFL active roster.
The whole thing was severely mishandled by the SEC. Sankey admitting he didn’t read the 5 for 5 was hilarious and a fireable offense in itself.
UnsureTiger laid all this out, and your take breaks it down for the dummies. They like to troll and make this an LSU issue, but miss the mark completely.
TrolLOL SECR!
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:34 am to Victor R Franko
quote:
IMO, if a 5th year player didn't make an NFL week 1 roster he should be allowed to come back this year.
I think that's a fair take, but one thing is blatantly obvious in all of this, the SEC has no clue how to define a professional, and they need to make a decision on what that actually entails. A rule needs to be made on exactly where the line is.
At least for football it should be anywhere from none of the 2022 class is eligible because they didn't withdraw from the draft to not appearing on the week 1 roster. The line must be drawn.
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:36 am to RockyRococco
quote:
a player getting paid millions of dollars is an amateur
Sankey and the SEC/NCAA lawyers weren't confused. They know they can't say this and not be laughed at in the real world.
The way forward is to drop the "amateurs" charade (because it isn't going to fly in court regardless of this case) and go from there with rules outside of pro/amateur that won't get you laughed out the court.
This post was edited on 9/4/26 at 7:41 am
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:36 am to TigerAlumni2010
quote:
I think that's a fair take, but one thing is blatantly obvious in all of this, the SEC has no clue how to define a professional, and they need to make a decision on what that actually entails. A rule needs to be made on exactly where the line is.
A professional is someone who gets paid to perform a job. They need to stop pretending that college athletes (some of whom are making millions of dollars a year) are not professionals.
Posted on 9/4/26 at 7:37 am to UnsureTiger
Sankey was walking a tightrope. He doesn't want to call players that get paid "professional" because the players are getting paid now. He's trying to block collective bargaining and calling the players "employees". It's too late for that. I think that's exactly the path they need to head down. Then you could set salary caps and make contracts enforceable, for both the team and the players. He put his foot in his mouth so much trying to avoid this issue, it made yesterday's case a slam dunk. It also set the SEC up for a ton of future lawsuits. He hurt the SEC yesterday and will get fired over it.
This post was edited on 9/4/26 at 7:39 am
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