Buried at the bottom of a recent article by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer about former Seahawks’ head coach Jim Mora was an interesting comment by ex-NFL’er Marshall Faulk, who said he would have definitely taken cash if he had been offered it at San Diego State.
“Were you ever offered anything in college?” I asked.
“Nah, I went to San Diego State,” Faulk said. “Other than good weather, they didn’t have much to offer me, unfortunately. I wish I’d gone to a bigger program and had them slide me some cash to take care of my family, but that wasn’t the case.”
“Would you have taken it? I asked.
“Heck yeah, I would have taken it,” Faulk said. “I’m not gonna lie to you, there’s no doubt about it.”
Faulk’s comments might sound a little surprising, but should they? Let’s keep in mind that players in college are essentially still kids and haven’t had the opportunity to make money yet. So when they’re offered cash, they’re presented with the opportunity to buy cell phones, video games, and whatever else they’re into.
I’m not saying it’s right for them to accept gifts and therefore put their program at risk of being punished, but I don’t think we should be surprised when someone like Faulk says he would have taken money had it been offered it to him in college. If answering honestly, the majority of people may have said the same thing.
That said, hopefully student athletes will learn from the situation with USC and Reggie Bush and look at the bigger picture. It’s just not worth accepting gifts and running the risk of not only ruining your future, but the future of other athletes who play for the program.
