If College Athletes are Indentured, Why are a Record Number Now Playing Football after Graduating?

There are now 971 players still proudly representing the LEAD1 Association universities and others on the gridiron after graduation, a record number receiving a bonus season and going after another degree at the record number of colleges and universities playing football, now at 777!

The reason so many come back is that the 130 athletic directors who constitute the membership of LEAD1 Association have created supportive, comprehensive programs that impress upon student-athletes the value of finishing college; and then work with them and assist more in completing their degrees and many times graduate degrees than has ever happened before in the history of intercollegiate athletics, even if they are making millions playing professional sports. More and more savvy students such as Zac Presscott, star quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, often times the first in their family to go to college, are using their scholarships to leave school with both an undergraduate and graduate degree! They can thank the programs put into place by devoted LEAD1 athletic directors and their dedicated staffs for this life-changing opportunity!

A recent LEAD1 interview pointed out how the Miami Dolphins led the NFL in having players complete their degree in the offseason. This comes from the top, led by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Mike Tannenbaum, the Executive Vice President, along with the inspiring work of Kaleb Thornhill and Yves Batoba, who head up player engagement for The Fins. As Thornhill declared, "We aim to transform these young men with information and knowledge. It is their individual ownership to transform it into wisdom."

Matching teams like the Dolphins in compassion and dedication to the players are the athletic directors who make up LEAD1 Association.

So many athletes return after graduation as there is no doubt that college athletes in the United States are treated the best in history. This also includes after they have left the athletic program! And one always returns to where they are treated the best! Even after going away, the athletic directors of LEAD1 still work to assist athletes return to finish their degrees. In addition, programs are created like the "Green and Global" service initiative just announced by LEAD1 Association member Colorado State to broaden their academic journey outside the borders of the United States.

Beginning in the spring, Colorado State is enriching the undergraduate experience for its scholarship athletes by allowing them to, "...take their education abroad in May 2017 with the first Green and Global service and learning experience in Jamaica."

The Senior Associate Athletic Director for Diversity and Inclusion at Colorado State, Dr. Albert Blimper, stated that "We're extremely proud to launch our Green & Global initiative at CSU for our student-athletes. I believe that this opportunity presents a transformative experience for each participant. This trip will be an opportunity for them to explore and be immersed in the rich culture, history and livelihood present in Jamaica while also challenging students to broaden their identities beyond sport. This initiative is about holistic development."

This is another example of how the athletic directors of LEAD1 Association schools have created programs that treat student-athletes the best in the history of intercollegiate athletics, both when attending the school and even after leaving, both inside America and now beyond its borders!

LEAD1 Association represents the athletic directors from the Football Bowl Subdivision Schools (FBS). The athletic programs assembled and led by the athletic directors at the member schools of LEAD1 Association provide billions in scholarship aid yearly to over 50,000 students. Of these, many are the first in their family to go to college. As an article in Forbes detailed about how the annual value is around $150,000,00, this is due to the scholarship including an education, meals, academic support services, nutritional counseling, athletic training, support groups, etc... There is also emergency aid in the millions for expenses such as going home on an emergency, or buying a coat for the winter.

It is for the benefit of the individual athlete that the member ADs of LEAD1 Association and pro teams like the Dolphins have programs to help them finish as the lifetime value of a college athletic scholarship can be over $2 million, according to an article in Forbes.

There are many other programs that benefit the college athletes of today that never before existed thanks to the efforts of LEAD1 Association athletic directors. As just one example, it was recently announced that the NCAA would again pay for the families of Final Four athletes to fly in and watch games. This was detailed in, "Another Reason Today's College Student Athletes are Treated the Best in History," which noted that, "The NCAA recently announced that it will pay up to $3000.00 for the family of each student-athlete competing in the semi-final round. For the national championship game, it goes up to $4000.00. This covers the transportation, hotel, and meal expenses."

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About the LEAD1 Association: The Honorable Tom McMillen is President and Chief Executive Officer of The LEAD1 Association, which represents the athletic directors, athletic programs and student-athletes of the 130 universities in the map below of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

LEAD1 Association will be holding its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. for the first time on September 26-27, 2017 with the sponsors listed below. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Otis Wiley at [email protected]:

ALL-AMERICAN LEVEL:

*Mintz Levin

*VICIS

*Tailgate Guys

*MG12/The Power of Magnesium

Vital Vio

Paciolan: A Learfield Company

SILVER:

*Private Jet Services

BRONZE:

*DHR International

*Fiesta Bowl

*Learfield

Essential to the mission of the LEAD1 Association are influencing how the rules of college sports are enacted and implemented, advocating for the future of college athletics, and providing various services to the members, ranging from professional development to pooled purchasing arrangements. The mission statement of LEAD1 Association is, “Supporting the athletic directors of America’s leading intercollegiate programs in preparing today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders.” For more information, please contact Jonathan Yates, Director of Communications & Publication Affairs for LEAD1, by email at [email protected], by phone at 301-807-2523, or visit the website, www.lead1association.com.