A Missouri state representative has introduced a bill that would revoke scholarships to student athletes "who refuse to play for a reason unrelated to health."
In other words, a politician in the state of Missouri has pre-filed a bill that would result in the loss of scholarships for players going on strike, like the Tigers football team did prior to the resignation of university president Tim Wolfe.
The proposed bill from Rick Brattin (R, Harrisonville), which again has only been pre-filed and has no scheduled hearing yet, would go in effect Aug. 28, 2016, just prior to the college football season.
Former Missouri safety Ian Simon, leader of the boycott, responded to the bill with a statement released to the media.
"They want to call us student athletes. But they keep us out of the student part of it," Simon said. "I'm more than just a football player. ...As soon as we're done playing at the University of Missouri, the University of Missouri does not care about us anymore. We are not their responsibility. ...Our sport is just a small part of who we are."
There are few issues the optics of this bill, starting with the assumption that legislators have total control over student-athlete scholarships, even at a state-sponsored school like Missouri. Athletic scholarships at Missouri, specifically, receive funding from private donations, making matters even trickier when it comes to government interventions.
