UK football players sign petition seeking cut of TV revenue

Approximately 60 UK football players were part of more than 300 student-athletes from five schools who signed a petition to the NCAA seeking a cut of TV revenue.

Student-athletes from UK, Arizona, Georgia Tech, Purdue and UCLA signed the petition, which “urges the NCAA and college presidents to set aside an unspecified amount of money from what it estimates is $775 million in recently acquired TV revenues in an “educational lock box” for football and men’s basketball players,” according to the Associated Press, which first reported the story.

Approximately 60 of those players were from the UK football team, National College Players Association President Ramogi Huma told the Kernel. (UPDATE: The precise figure is 59 football players.) The NCPA facilitated getting the petition to the NCAA.

Calls to UK spokesmen were not immediately returned.

Huma said the process of collecting signatures started about 10 days ago and was led by senior cornerback Anthony Mosley, a player representative on the UK Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Huma could neither confirm nor deny that Mosley signed the petition, and Huma could not release any specific names because the players did not authorize the release of their names.

(UPDATE: Mosley is quoted on the NCPA as signing the petition, saying, ““I felt it was important for the petition to be circulated because of the information it held in its contents.  The players should know the details that deal with their collegiate future.  We as players put so much time, energy, and pride into what we represent.  To be under-supported within the NCAA given all of the new money that we’re generating for our schools is just horrible.”)

“Players have never spoken out in this magnitude,” Huma said. “Players feel a bit uncomfortable. They have a lot of loyalty to their sport and their schools. It can be tough to speak out.”

The process moved quickly in order to finalize and send the petition before an NCAA board meeting on Wednesday, Huma said.

Huma said no student-athletes from any other UK sport signed the petition. He said reaching out to the basketball team was considered, but a formal request to have basketball players sign didn’t occur because of the time constraints. Only UCLA had basketball players sign the petition.

A full release, along with an accompanying study conducted by the NCPA, will be released Tuesday, Huma said.