Tiki Barber: College athletes should get paid from endorsements
Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber believes college athletes should be compensated for building up their personal brands.
“I think it’s high time that market forces are able to work on players,” Barber told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Tuesday.
Barber cited the billions of dollars the NCAA makes in revenue on “big-time college sports” as the reasoning behind his opinion.
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“If you develop yourself into a star, you should be able to be compensated for it,” Barber said since he believes "brands are individuals."
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He said it's smart for the NCAA to meet Tuesday to debate the rule which does not allow student-athletes to make money off their names, images or likeliness.
This marks the first NCAA meeting since California passed a law that makes it illegal for schools to punish athletes for accepting endorsement money starting in 2023.
Barber is not the first professional athlete to advocate such compensation. NBA star Draymond Green and NFL star Richard Sherman admonished the NCAA for taking advantage of their players, FOX Business previously reported.
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College athletics programs currently award scholarship students nearly $3.5 billion annually, while providing them with education off the field and development in their sport, according to the NCAA. The organization also suggests their students tend to graduate at higher rates than the student body as a whole.