Amended Senate bill could allow student-athlete protections

http://www.dailycal.org/2012/07/26/amended-senate-bill-could-provide-student-athlete-protections/

UC Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford University and the University of Southern California may face new state requirements when it comes to their student-athletes, including extended scholarships and medical treatment for injured athletes. That is, if the Student Athlete Bill of Rights — authored by Senator Alex Padilla, D-San Fernando Valley — is passed by the state Senate and Gov. Jerry Brown.

The bill — introduced in February — would force the schools to continue student-athletes’ scholarships if they suffer an “incapacitating injury or illness” for up to five years, until they graduate or after “exhaust(ing) his or her athletic eligibility” for up to one year or until they graduate.

“Neither personal injury nor poverty should dim the dreams of a student-athlete pursuing a college degree, particularly when their performance has enriched their college,” Padilla said in a press release.

The bill would apply to California universities with intercollegiate athletic programs that receive at least an average of $10 million in media rights revenue for intercollegiate athletics. The extended scholarships would be exclusively funded by the media rights revenue, potentially saving state funds.