There Ya Go
“
Go getchya some money. Go getchya some money. Go gethcya some money. Go getchya some money.”
I lost count of how many times Kentucky quarterback Zach Calzada said this phrase as he flashed dozens of $100 bills on his Instagram page recently. I lost count because I simply couldn’t watch it any more. I was disgusted. Yes, disgusted.
And, as is typical when idiot athletes do something stupid and share it with the world, Calzada later apologized: “I take full responsibility for the video I sent to someone on social media. I let my emotions get the best of me. It does not reflect the gratitude I should share as a member of the Kentucky Football team. I sincerely apologize to my teammates, coaches and our fans. I’ll learn from this, do better and move forward with more respect for the opportunity I’ve been given.”
Contrition like this is trite and mostly falls on deaf ears now because we’ve seen it time and time again. Calzada can take his apology and shove it. We all know many college football players are in it for the money.
I suppose I can’t blame them. They’re talented and destined for the NFL where they might even make more money than they do as 20-year-olds.
What I will blame them for is their blatant stupidy. They’re dumb enough to flaunt their success instead of appreciating it. They might not have sold their soul to the devil, but they sure have sold their last ounce of humility to him.
This is what Name Image and Likeness money is doing to collegiate sports. Wait, it’s not even collegiate anymore. We might as well toss that word out the window. College football is now semipro. The romance is gone.
A spokesperson for the University of Kentucky issued a statement about the situation: “Zach has taken responsibility for his actions. He has done the right thing and apologized. Now, it’s time to move forward.”
Not so fast. There is no moving on from this, not from a societal perspective, because what Calzada has done is prove to the world that college athletes — not all, but many — have kinds of shown that they don’t seriously care about their education anymore. Many are getting it for free, but they could care less because so many are blinded by $100 bills, and they’re not mature enough to handle universities throwing money at them. It used to be, big-time colleges would sneak things like money and cars, and even houses, to athletes without any of us knowing. College athletes getting paid is nothing new. But now that NIL is a real thing, that’s all “student”-athletes are thinking — and bragging about.
College sports have driven themselves off a cliff and the car has already crashed and blown up.
If TMB graduate Tony Nelson, who currently plays Division I football for our Gophers, were to get paid the big bucks while at the U, I would be so happy for him. That’s because I know him and I know his family. He has more humility than muscle, and he would deserve everything coming to him. The problem is, the college football world is not full of Tony Nelsons, people who are mature enough and have just enough common sense not to brag about his success.
No, there are more Zach Calzadas out there who are becoming millionaires before they can legally drink.
