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UConn�s Napier: �We do have hungry nights�

By: JACQUELINE RABE THOMAS | April 7, 2014View as "Clean Read"


Shabazz Napier, point guard for The University of Connecticut's men's basketball team, recently told reporters he understands why athletes at Northwestern need a union, as he sometimes has to go to bed "starving" because he cannot afford food.

"We as student athletes get utilized for what we do so well. We are definitely blessed to get a scholarship to our universities, but at the end of the day, that doesn't cover everything. We do have hungry nights that we don't have enough money to get food and sometimes money is needed," the senior told reporters. "I think, you know, Northwestern has an idea, and we'll see where it goes."

The National Labor Relations Board ruled last month that the football players at Northwestern, a private college, have the right to form the first labor union in college sports.

The NLRB ruling does not empower athletes at public universities like UConn to unionize, as public schools rely on state labor laws for such issues.

State Rep. Patricia Dillon, D-New Haven, said she intends to propose enabling legislation if state law is a barrier to athletes forming unions at public schools in Connecticut.

"We shouldn't be preventing them. They should have that voice," said Dillon, a member of the Connecticut legislature's Higher Education Committee. "If state law is the barrier, then we should remove it. It should be up to the players."

With just over four weeks left in this year's legislative session, Dillon said she hasn't yet decided if her bill will be proposed this year or next.

Napier, who heads into the NCAA Championship match-up against the University of Kentucky tonight, told reporters that it's hard for him to see his jersey getting sold while he struggles to eat.

"To some credit, you feel like you want something in return� Like I said, there are hungry nights that I go to bed and I am starving. So something can change, something should change. But if it doesn't, at the end of the day, we've been doing this for so long, so ...," he said.

A UConn spokesman said in an emailed statement that Napier is provided food.

"Shabazz Napier, like all our scholarship athletes, is provided the maximum meal plan that is allowable under NCAA rules. UConn does not have a cafeteria devoted specifically to student-athletes, but they have access to the same cafeterias which are available to all our students," Phil Chardis said in a statement.

UConn's Student Athlete Handbook outlines that UConn's athletes with a meal plan have access to the all-you-can-eat dining facilities that are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Other athletes and coaches have spoken out about this issue before, including University of Kentucky coach John Calipari in December 2012.

The leader of Connecticut's labor union, Lori J. Pelletier, writes that there is good cause to allow college athletes to unionize.

"Many of these athletes end up injured and no longer have the opportunity for an athletic career. These athletes deserve to be protected from career-ending injuries just as any 'worker' is covered. The ruling by the NLRB will allow for serious discussion on how we treat these performers," the Connecticut AFL-CIO executive secretary treasurer wrote on Facebook in a response to this article.

In 2011, Dillon persuaded legislators to approve a new law requiring public universities to disclose to prospective student athletes what health-care benefits they would receive. Dillon worked on getting that legislation passed into law with Ramogi Huma, the leader of the National College Athletes Players Association, which petitioned the NLRB, leading to Northwestern's football team to be able to form a union.

Dillon said Monday the health and living expenses colleges provide their athletes "is very variable" from school to school.

"Health care is the thing that really bothers me because injuries can really pile up," she said.

An official with the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations said college athletes at public schools have not yet petitioned the board, seeking a decision on whether they have the right to form a union. It also hasn't been determined if state law permits them to unionize.

He will go to bed hungry only if he is too lazy to go to the dining hall. I played college football on a full scholarship, and if we wanted seconds, or thirds, or whatever, all we had to do was get up and go to the serving line and get it. College athletes don't go to bed hungry, believe me.

He will go to bed hungry only if he is too lazy to go to the dining hall. I played college football on a full scholarship, and if we wanted seconds, or thirds, or whatever, all we had to do was get up and go to the serving line and get it. College athletes don't go to bed hungry, believe me.

College athletes should be paid. A meal plan isn't going to fully cover the caloric needs of a 18 y/o playing college level sports.

I'm not for million dollar paychecks for college athletes. But in addition to their scholarships they should be paid the same hourly rate that any other student worker gets for working at on campus job.

They might have a meal plan, but so do all other scholarship students. And there are far more kids going to school on academic scholarships than atheletic. Those kids aren't required to spend any time at all working (unpaid) for the school, and bringing in untold millions to the school in order to get their free rides. Big time colleges bring in as much or more money than any pro franchise, and the players don't cost them a dime. And most colleges make millions on 2-3 sports.

College athletes are used and abused by the schools. More than 50% have no chance to graduate when they enter and the schools know it. They bring them in to play sports, and make money, for the school. It is a goldmine for the schools. When they can't make the grades, or can't perform athletically they cut them loose and bring in someone else. Only a tiny fraction have a chance for the big pro contracts.

College athletes should be paid. A meal plan isn't going to fully cover the caloric needs of a 18 y/o playing college level sports.

My daughter tutored football players at Mizzou...some of whom play in the NFL today. They weren't hungry. They were stupid.