Rece Davis explains why collective bargaining is needed to stop CFB tampering

How can tampering with college football players be stopped? ESPN’s Rece Davis says there’s only one way to do it, with collective bargaining.

Davis explained his thinking on the College GameDay Podcast.

“I think the only answer to this is collective bargaining,” Davis said, H/T On3’s Dan Morrison. “Okay, if you’re going to collective bargain, almost by definition the players have to be employees, or else with whom are you going to bargain? Who’s going to represent each side?”

These comments come on the heels of a lawsuit filed by the University of Wisconsin against the University of Miami for tampering with a player. The player, officially unnamed in the suit but presumed to be defensive back Xavier Lucas, “left Wisconsin and enrolled at Miami in January after saying the Badgers staff refused to enter his name in the transfer portal in December,” as noted by Dan Murphy of ESPN.

Davis further detailed his thinking, noting that unless the athletes are contracted employees, then schools shouldn’t have the standing to dictate where they can play.

“I understand both sides of this,” Davis said. “But the biggest thing about the portal and the up in arms over that is if you’re not going to call them employees. If these are not going to be pay-for-play contracts, then what business do you have telling someone where they can go to school and where they can play?”