Former State Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr (Image Credit: Kristine Bellino, WPTF News/ Curtis Media Group)
Anthony DeHart
Former State Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr, who has represented University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill football players in legal disputes involving alleged NCAA rules violations, discussed the current state of money in college athletics on this week’s edition of “Carolina Newsmakers” with Don Curtis.
Orr said the NCAA has transitioned from being too restrictive to allowing a “Wild West” environment, with students now able to profit from their name, image, and likeness.
“As sports evolved and more and more money came into the system, the governance of the NCAA, arguably supposed to be the presidents and chancellors of the universities, sort of punted… to the athletic and media world,” Orr said.
He noted that as the system evolved, universities lost control.
“No one has been able to figure out, particularly as it’s accelerated dramatically over the last few years, how to rein in what is an extraordinarily successful enterprise but one that is, for the most part, far from the concept of amateurism and being an extracurricular activity. So, I think it was just a loss of institutional control,” Orr said.
Orr emphasized that college presidents and leadership should address the issue.
“They’re the ones who have to come together and say, ‘Look, we have to figure this out.’ We can’t leave it to ESPN, CBS, Fox Sports, agents, lawyers, or Congress. We have to determine what works for our schools and the young men and women attending these schools,” he said.
Listen to the full episode now…