NFL Player: Student-Athletes Deserve To Get Paid

Jake McDonough is a former All-Big 12 First Team defensive lineman from Iowa State. After going undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft, he signed with the New York Jets. After spending training camp with the Jets, he signed with the Indianapolis Colts in December for their playoff run. Now, McDonough is a free agent, with many teams looking to bring him into camp. Today, he chimes in to break down his opinion on student athletes getting compensation from the NCAA.

The notion that student athletes shouldn't receive compensation for their likeness, their marketability, nor the countless hours that they put in for their respective sport from the NCAA or their schools, sparks a fire inside me. The fact that an organization that had a revenue of $871.6 million (as of 2012) continually brings in millions of dollars to this day (and the coaches become multi-millionaires), while athletes are suspended for receiving a free meal seems a little off to me.

When I was a student-athlete at Iowa State University, I both witnessed and endured some of the struggles in dealing with the draconian rules of the NCAA. Going into college, I never thought I would need another job, nor would I have a worry in the world. After my freshman year, I realized that there was no way to hold down a job while attending classes, film sessions, working out, or going to practice. I had no idea how some walk-on student-athletes did it. With a scholarship check of $600/month, the cost of living on the rise, food, gas, and anything else that was needed, I had to reevaluate my stance on getting a job.

My junior year was probably the toughest year. A couple of teammates and I stayed in an apartment complex pretty close to the football facility. Rent was supposed to be a little under $500 so that left me with at least $100 for food/gas per month. I was wrong. Rent quickly rose above $500, and I was left with under $50 for gas and food. With the amount of time I put in to be successful in both the classroom and on the field, there was little room for a job outside of football. The meals that I had signed up for were messed up and I somehow ran out of meals right away. I then applied and was denied access to food stamps.

With the amount of time spent trying to be a successful athlete, some guys would choose an easier major or a major that they couldn't do anything with after college in order to stay eligible. There are obviously student-athletes that are successful at both and could balance the tough schedule, but that definitely isn't all athletes.

I believe it was that same year we lost a walk-on that was a starter on special teams. He was going to be a big contributor to our team, but he had to hang up the cleats because he couldn't afford to play and go to school. Imagine how frustrating that must be.

You might say that our school is paid for, which I am very thankful for, but you can't really budget anything other than rent into your scholarship check. It feels as though we were forced into poverty. Quite a few of my teammates felt the same way. We couldn't receive any gifts, free food, or any kind of benefit that may break an NCAA rule. Some athletes use part of their scholarship to send money home to help family or use for child support. The guys who aren't on scholarship pay to play.

In order to make our rent checks work, we had to select housing that is cheap or has sub-par living conditions. Because we lived off campus, most, if not all of the off-campus athletes have to drive some sort of vehicle. That means paying to fill up at the gas station. Some athletes can apply for grants to help, but those whose parents make too much money won't be able to receive the grant. These grants can help with the costs of gas, food, clothing, and anything else a student-athlete needs to get by. We push our bodies to the limit day in and day out in order to win and our schools continue to make more money off of our name; student-athletes deserve a piece of that pie.

As a high school senior, I thought nothing of signing my life away to keep playing football. Looking back, it seems silly to let a school use the success of a player to promote the school with their picture, jersey, poster, etc. without giving that athlete something in return. Until athletes are compensated, they will continually be backed into a corner-the risk of an athlete doing something that would break a rule would increase the longer that athletes are not compensated. This was put into perspective when Arian Foster told the story of how he told his coach that there was no food in the fridge and if they didn't figure a way to get food, they would have to do something drastic in order to get food. His coach then brought him and his roommates tacos, a NCAA violation.

Balancing school and sports is hard enough without having to worry about where your next meal is going to come from. If the NCAA wants student-athletes to be successful on the field and in the classroom, they need to take away the added stress of finding work on top of everything else. They deserve to be paid. It's time to take a stand and change the way things are going. They deserve more. They deserve better.