Todd Gurley's suspension for selling signatures is all over the news, but it certainly isn't an isolated incident.
For many college football players, selling signatures is simply one of the few avenues they can take to make ends meet. With the NCAA's strict rules governing amateurism, the options for many players are limited, and autograph/memorabilia dealers are virtually everywhere.
In an interview with Charlotte's CBS radio affiliate, former South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia gave a frank, honest assessment of what he saw during his checkered career in the SEC.
"I saw it all day, every day to be honest with you. I wish they came to me, but they thought of me as some rich white kid so I didn't really get benefits from that. I'm just being honest with you. I saw it firsthand with a lot of players and talking with other guys. You know I'm friends with a lot of players from around the SEC, and talking with them, it makes the Todd Gurley thing seem insignificant by a long shot."
Garcia was asked what the most he saw change hands for autographs was, and revealed that he saw $160,000 paid for a season's worth of "autographs and the like".
Given that Garcia is several years removed from his playing days, this probably won't lead to any action from the NCAA...but it certainly won't make his former coaches happy.
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