J.J. Redick congratulates UNC, says college athletes should be paid

Former Duke star J.J. Redick took time to congratulate rival North Carolina on their national title, and also lobbied for college players to be paid.

Former Duke star J.J. Redick congratulated rival North Carolina on its national title in a tweet following Monday's championship game.

Redick also called for college players to be paid.

The current Clippers guard, once regarded as college basketball’s most hated player (particularly among the Tar Heels fan base, safe to say), sent a tweet following Carolina’s win over Gonzaga on Monday night, punctuating his congrats with “seriously.”

But also, he made the point—as many did on Monday night—that college players deserve to be paid.

The merits of a play-for-play model continue to be debated, as players receive their scholarship money and stipends but maintain amateur status and are not allowed to capitalize off their own likeness.

“Scholarships don’t count,” Redick noted, as the NCAA does not cover many additional costs of living for student-athletes.

The NCAA has a multi-billion dollar TV deal with Turner and CBS Sports to air the tournament through 2032.