So now it literally pays to cheat in NCAA athletics.
It always had been hypothetical before. Like, a booster might slip $100,000 into that figurative shoebox for the quarterback whom coach really wants to sign, but there never has been a guarantee the player would turn out to be a superstar. It’s not unprecedented for a five-star prospect to become a fifth-string washout.
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A school could gerrymander a defensive lineman’s grades so he’s available when otherwise he might not be, but it’s possible that player could tear up his knee and be unavailable for the big rivalry game.