Former UM Star Says NCAA's Decision To Allow Student Athletes To Profit Long Overdue
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A former Miami Hurricane football star is speaking out on the NCAA's unanimous vote to allow student athletes to be paid for their name, image and likeness.
The announcement comes two months after California announced they were the first state to pass a law allowing college athletes to sign endorsement deals beginning in 2023.
Former NFL player and UM wide receiver Randal Hill says the NCAA's announcement was long overdue.
"Me and a couple of the guys, we were talking about it and we would've love for the stuff happened back in the day when University of Miami was on top," he said. "Because, you know, 30 years later I'm still getting comments about some the things that we did, we changed college football."
In a statement, the NCAA Board of Governors wrote, "We must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes."
Florida State Rep. Kionne McGhee appeared on CBS4 News at 7 just days after California's new law was passed.
McGhee discussed his own house bill that would allow student athletes to be compensated through deals using their names images and likeness.
"This is simply allowing for those individuals to have a say in the free market," he said. "They're going to school, they're learning about capitalism, they're learning about how they make money, how to create products, but the one thing that they know that works for them is their talent."
And while Hill agrees that cashing in on the fame is beneficial for star athletes, he said they need to be realistic that fame for many can be fleeting.
"The likelihood of you getting an NFL pension is slim to none," he said. "So if you're going to make money when you're in college, save some of that money, put some of that money away, so it gives you a jump start on life."