General

Terrence Cody Is Profiting Off His Fame, Others Not So Much

Feb 17, 2010, 10:00 PM UTC

â†µâ†µRemember when Ian Johnson had to stopâ†µselling the hats he was knitting because people might buy them forâ†µreasons other than “these hats are sweet”? Well, this is evidentlyâ†µlegal and stuff in the eyes of the NCAA:â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥Terrence “Mount” Cody, senior nose tackle for Alabama’sâ†µâ‡¥2009 National Champion football team, will make a second appearance atâ†µâ‡¥Parkway Place mall to sign autographs. The autograph session will beâ†µâ‡¥Saturday from 12-3 p.m. and from 4-6 p.m.â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µâ†µYour Cody autograph comes at a minimum price of $25 on a print-butâ†µyou get a personalâ†µitem signed for every bit of merchandise you drop cash on-and Iâ†µimagine young Terrence is getting a significant cut of that.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe key difference is not moral or ethical but merely a matterâ†µof power: the NCAA can’t do anything to Cody anymore. He’s out ofâ†µeligibility and headed for the NFL draft, and this is the point at whichâ†µthese guys sign contracts with agents and start driving around sillyâ†µcars with loan money. Other than that, Alabama fans giving Cody moneyâ†µfor an autograph is obviously him profiting off his likeness-onlyâ†µthe NCAA is allowed to do that-far more than Ian Johnson was.â†µ

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â†µI'm sure this is on the up-and-up, NCAA violations rarely beingâ†µadvertised in your local newspaper, but it is kind of a blatant quid proâ†µquo, isn't it? Might as well hand every graduating senior a check forâ†µ10k. Not that I begrudge any college football player staring down aâ†µshort NFL career and an uncertain future after that scraping any dollarâ†µhe can from his fame. â†µ

â†µâ†µThat’s the guy who blocked the field goal that preserved a nationalâ†µchampionship season. How is a mediocre but generally winning quarterbackâ†µsixâ†µmonths into his job as a loan officer doing?â†µ