NCAA President Mark Emmert thinks it's time member institutions revisit the rules related to college athletes and autographs in light of the allegations leveled against Georgia running back Todd Gurley and Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.
"I hope the members do look at it," Emmert told USA Today in a phone interview Monday. "Whether they change it or not is less important than whether or not they look at it and say, 'We still think this is a good rule for good reasons' or not, but we need to have it affirmed or changed — one of the two — and this is a good time to do it."
Emmert’s comments come at a time when the NCAA is under legal fire regarding compensation for college athletes. Many want to be able to make money off their own likeness since several universities are already doing so.
Players seeking money in exchange for their autographs is not a new problem.
Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, last year, was under NCAA investigation for allegedly signing memorabilia for money and Ohio State was placed on NCAA restrictions a few years ago after a pattern of trading autographs and memorabilia for tattoos and money was exposed.
"There shouldn't be any doubt in the minds of student-athletes that under the current rules the membership has in place, you can't sign autographs for pay, and everybody's supposed to know that and be educated on that by their athletic department," Emmert told USA Today. "Whether or not that's a rule you like is a different story. Here in Indianapolis, the beltway speed limit is 55 and as Mark Emmert, I think that's too low. But if I'm driving 65 and get pulled over, I can't say I don't like the rule. So we need to deal with the second question and is it time to re-look at this rule?"
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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