The Colorado Rockies drafted Kyle Parker back in June with full knowledge that Parker also desired to continue his football career. Even though the Rockies failed to sway Parker away from football for this season, the Rockies did sign him to a professional contract and handed him a $1.4 million signing bonus.
In two games this season, Parker is 15-of-26 for 283 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. However, those two games were against North Texas and Presbyterian College. This week Clemson heads into SEC territory with a road trip to Auburn.
Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News ponders why the NCAA is right and is wrong in dealing with professional status. Basically, NCAA by-laws allow student-athletes to sign a professional contract in one sport, but allow those same student-athletes to compete in a second sport on the collegiate level. That's exactly what Kyle Parker did during the summer: sign a contract with the Colorado Rockies but also start at quarterback for the Clemson Tigers.
But as Scarbinsky goes on, Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green, who is appealing a suspension, reportedly sold his bowl game jersey for $1,000 to some guy who may have been an agent. Parker can make money off his baseball talent, but Green can't capitalize on his football skills because he's an amateur athlete.
The NCAA is hypocritical, as Scarbinsky points out, because Georgia makes money off Green's jersey. Thing is, those jerseys don't have Green's name on the back. Ah, that's supposed to make it all right. Or how about in EA Sports' NCAA Football? Those animated players bear striking resemblances to their real life counterparts, but they don't see a dime of that money.
But even if it weren't wrong for him to sell his own jersey, Green is kidding himself if he thinks his jersey is worth $1000. That's why this whole jersey-selling incident smacks of being illegal.