Having earlier said the NCAA's amateurism model is outdated, Arizona athletic . director Dave Heeke indicated he's also willing to work behind the door the NCAA opened Tuesday that could allow players to profit from their name, image and likeness.
"We recognize that college athletics is an ever-changing landscape," Heeke said in a statement, "and I will continue to work with the NCAA, the Pac-12 Conference and our University leaders on advancing the well-being of college student-athletes.”
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, who indicated concerns about unintended consequences of California's "Fair Pay to Play" law earlier this month, said in a statement that he was looking forward to speaking with conference members about the NCAA's move.
"The Pac-12 is committed to supporting student-athletes, and is committed to doing so in a manner that does not create unintended negative consequences" Scott said.
The big question, of course, is how the NCAA can work in NIL rights to its structure "in a manner consistent with the collegiate model."
The Mercury News' Jon Wilner looks at whether a secession of elite teams from the NCAA could force the next wave of conference realignment.
On his map of top college basketball teams in each state, CBS' Matt Norlander placed only three Pac-12 programs: Arizona, Oregon and Colorado, while Gonzaga, St. Mary's and Utah State claimed the other three states in the Pac-12 footprint.
You don’t get to the Final Four without taking the road there, and to get there, you need a map. So here it is, the 🗺️ United States OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL 🗺️ for 2019-20. https://t.co/6jCnfXAeEz pic.twitter.com/MWDzNDabNV
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) October 30, 2019
