Count Washington State head football coach Mike Leach among the high-profile members of the college sports community who are voicing their disagreement over a bill passed by the California Assembly that would allow college athletes to make money off of their likeness, a bill that has been proudly supported by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
A few days after former Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow voiced his disagreement due to his personal experience as a college mega star, Leach decided to go in a different direction as he suggested the state of California needs to “focus on making sure the streets are clean” rather than wading into the world of college football, a not-so subtle insult and insinuation that the state stay in their lane.
The bill was passed by 72-0 vote a few weeks ago and is now on the desk of governor Gavin Newsom. An insult from a famous football coach like Leach is probably unlikely to go over well with California residents.
While the NCAA is lobbying Newsom to veto the bill, LeBron is calling on the organization to develop nationwide policy so that college athletes could be compensated.
