ESPN — Five Richmond baseball players who have been ruled ineligible by the NCAA were involved in fantasy football, leading to their suspensions to start the season, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch report.
The university announced Feb. 17 that five student-athletes on the baseball team had committed secondary violations and would be ineligible for competition until the NCAA completes the reinstatement process.
The Times-Dispatch, citing multiple unnamed sources, later reported that the secondary violations were related to the players’ participation in fantasy football.
Ok. So you saw the headline. And if you didn’t know already, this is primarily a fantasy football website. So if you can put two-and-two together, I think you know where I’m planning on going with this.
HUH??
Apparently, the NCAA Student Handbook (basically the Bible for old rich white dudes who hate college kids) says that fantasy sports that require an entry fee are “a form of sports wagering” and are illegal for student-athletes. Really? 100% legal in Virginia, but not for its student athletes. Because people will want to give them money through it? Because that’d mean losing on purpose, and if they think anyone would do that, these guys are more out of touch than I thought.
Anti-gambling stuff in general, I guess I sort of understand just because hypothetically they could bet on their own games. But fantasy football? For a college baseball player? Seems pretty harmless, don’t you think? This is the organization that doesn’t let you get seconds at dinner or put stickers on envelopes sent to recruits and I think this is actually the dumbest thing they’ve ever done. Nobody should be deprived of fantasy football in this day and age, especially not 20-something year old college athletes.
So this is an open invitation to all collegiate athletes, regardless of division or level, to play fantasy football all they want. And when they need help with said fantasy football, I invite them all to consult the Roto Street Journal for all their fantasy needs.
Take that, NCAA.
