Brian Mullan: A return for ‘one and done’ athletes

Whatever the sport, I’ve long been bugged by the college athletes who do the “one and done” and spend one year in college then head to the pros.

It’s wonderful that they can pursue their passion, but it really bothers me that those same athletes oftentimes were given a full-ride scholarship to go to that university. When they leave after a year, it basically becomes “wasted” scholarship money that could have gone to another student at that school. Considering how hard it is for many families to even pay for college, I think that’s wrong!

I would like to propose that athletes who leave the university to go pro after only one year have to repay their scholarship money in full within two years. Surely this cannot be a burden on them, considering the crazy salaries they make in the pros. Returning the money would allow it to be re-used for needy students truly seeking an education in our state.

This story was originally published April 9, 2015 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Brian Mullan: A return for ‘one and done’ athletes."