Arguably the biggest media event besides the Super Bowl kicked off at the Winfrey Hotel in Birmingham, AL as SEC Media Days took center stage to begin the unofficial start of college football season. Over 850 media creditenals were handed out as fans, photographers, and writers tried to catch a glimpse of the stars of the SEC.
Wednesday’s opening day will without a doubt be the highlight of the three day event as the head coaches of the past two college football national champions took to the podium. Here are some of the highlights:
Agents are “Pimps” and “Predators”
The month of June was expansion month in college football, and it appears July will be agent month. Already two current college football stars have been accused of taking benefits from agents. The careers of North Carolina DT Marvin Austin and Alabama DE Marcelll Dareus
are in serious jeopardy. Both players are projected by many draft insiders as top 10 picks in next April’s NFL draft. A loss of Austin and Dareus’ talent could possibly derail of season of giant expectations for both Alabama and North Carolina. Alabama could be particularly damaged since they are already replacing 8 starters off of last year’s championship defense.
Saban took his opportunity at the podium yesterday to blast agents and the NFL for not getting a handle on the situation “I don’t think it’s anything but greed that is creating it right now on behalf of the agents,” Saban said. “I hate to say this, but how are they any better than a pimp? I have no respect for people who do that to young people. None. How would you feel if they did it to your child?”
The ballad didn’t stop with Nick Saban as Florida head coach Urban Meyer did his own bickering. His former offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey has been accused of taking $100,000 from an agent. Meyer called the agents “predators” and agreed with Saban the NFL had get the situation under control.
The agent scandal is just the beginning and don’t be surprised if nearly 30 teams are involved before it’s all said and done. NCAA is expected to pay a visit to the University of Georgia for an inquiry into agent activities on their campus.
Schools can blame USC and Reggie Bush for the NCAA’s focus on this matter. The NCAA felt embarrassed that one of the most profilic players in college football history was able to circumvent the NCAA for so long. The NCAA won’t let it happen again.
However, Meyer and Saban are right on target. The resolution to this problem lies with the National Football League. Agents who are involved in these activities must be suspended or even banished from the NFL.
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