College Athlete Petition Seeks Cut Of College TV Money

Over 300 major college football and men’s basketball players have signed a petition telling the NCAA that they want a cut of the TV sports revenue to increase scholarships and cover all the costs of getting a degree, according to ESPN.

Players from Arizona, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Purdue and UCLA have signed the petition, asking the NCAA to “realize its mission to educate and protect us with integrity,” according to ESPN. Players started sending the petition to the NCAA last week.

Copies of the document were obtained by the Associated Press from the National College Players Association (NCPA), an athletes’ advocacy group.

The petition urges the NCAA and college presidents to set aside an unspecified amount of money from what it estimates is $775 million in recently acquired TV revenues in an “educational lock box” for football and men’s basketball players. These funds could be used to cover educational costs if the player exhausts his eligibility before they graduate and they could receive what’s left of the money allocated to them upon graduation, according to ESPN.

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors meets later this week in Indianapolis and among the planned discussion topics is a proposal to allow conferences to increase the value of athletic scholarships.