Today is the day we start to get more details around the Oklahoma State scandal involving paying players, academic misconduct, and sex for recruits. In part one of the report released today by SI, they have a few players on the record talking about the payment system. Here is something that stood out to me:
“It was just like in life when you work,” says Thomas Wright, a defensive back from 2002 to ’04. “The better the job you do, the more money you make.”
Only in college football would this line even be controversial, but for some reason unknown to me, people are ok with keeping these kids poor and under their control.
Bonuses were delivered in a variety of ways, multiple players told SI. Sometimes players got extra money in their per diem envelopes, which were usually distributed by low-level football staff members. On other occasions an envelope with money was waiting for them in their locker the day after a game. Wright says that if a player found a new pair of socks in his locker postgame, there was a good chance some cash was inside one of them. “It was crazy,” he says of the payouts to some of the most prominent players. “They were getting money like out of control. It was as clear as day.”
For some reason, it’s funny to me that they were so out in the open about the payments and all the players (allegedly) knew what was going on. Oklahoma State football players got a $15 per diem for road trips. I am sure this is no different at other schools around the country but this is outrageous. How much do you think the coaches get? Or administration that would travel?
The biggest injustice that has come out so far is just how little these players were still getting if the most a player made was $25,000.