James Beltran
Sports Editor
After the NCAA approved last week the right for a student-athlete to hold a part-time job, coaches and administrators have expressed a variety of concerns over the matter.
While many athletes are happy to have the freedom, others say it could reduce the integrity of college athletics.
Originally known as Proposition 62, this legislation can potentially create loopholes for programs to illegally offer recruits incentives to attend a particular school.
"The guys who play outside the lines will always play outside the lines," said University of Houston football coach Kim Helton. "Whether this rule was approved or not wouldn't stop them."
Helton's fear, shared by hundreds of other coaches' around the country, is that athletes coming out of high school will require schools to offer them well-paying jobs that demand no work.
UH Athletics Director Chet Gladchuk thinks it's a legitimate concern.
"It's a real possibility," he said., "but I would hope integrity would prevail."
But to insure that it does, Gladchuk plans on implementing what he calls a compliance system in which "we would require verification from employers and workers along with documents that they will have to sign and attest to. The administration will be on top of every detail."
The new ordinance, taking effect in August, states that athletes under full scholarship have a right to earn up to $2,000 per academic year, and also that the athletic department and boosters are permitted to help athletes find work.
To combat the possibilities of illegal money offers from schools to student-athletes, it is required that athletes' salaries come from a source other than the athletic department's budget.
Helton said he is worried that the jobs will interfere with his players' already busy schedules.
"We've worked extremely hard to increase the graduation rate," he said. "I'm afraid this might hurt it. There's not enough hours to afford to work. With school and practice, there just isn't time, but I'm not against it because everyone else had that right (to work) but them."
While Gladchuk admits that students won't have an abundance of time to work during the season, he thinks the decision by the NCAA is a move in the right direction.
"It is very important this happened," Gladchuk said. "We have to be more liberal with what we do for our athletes. To allow them the flexibility to work is important.
"It's not like everyone's going to flock out for a job. It's the opportunity that matters in this case."