TCU’s Dixon: NCAA drawing line on deals with agents

Agents have no business in the college sports world.

That’s the message the NCAA has sent loud and clear in the last week.

“What [the NCAA] is drawing the line on is deals with agents,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “That’s professionalism. I think that’s the one thing they are going to stick to until something else comes out.”

Dixon made the comments on Monday after the NCAA created a stir with its punishments for two student athletes last week.

The sanctioning body of college athletics effectively ended University of Miami forward Dewan Hernandez’s college career by suspending him for the rest of this season and 40 percent of the 2019-20 season for his dealings with an agent.

Hernandez announced intentions to turn professional once the NCAA news broke, saying he didn’t feel the NCAA treated him fairly.

Kansas’ Silvio De Sousa is in a similar situation after the NCAA ruled him ineligible to play this season and next after his guardian received a $2,500 payment from an Adidas consultant that the NCAA described as a “university booster and agent.” De Sousa’s guardian, Fenny Falmagne, also agreed to an additional $20,000 payment from the same individual.

KU coach Bill Self and athletics director Jeff Long each issued harsh statements ripping the NCAA for its judgment.

But the NCAA said the guidelines and policies are clear.

“When a prospective student-athlete allows a third party to involve himself in the recruitment process, the prospective student-athlete is then responsible for the actions of that person, regardless of whether the prospective student-athlete had knowledge or if benefits were received,” the NCAA said in a news release.

Dixon said he knows both staffs at Miami and Kansas well, although refused to weigh in whether this is a positive direction for college basketball to go.

Asked if he liked the NCAA’s stance, Dixon said: “My like doesn’t matter. It’s just something you have to recognize and acknowledge.”

Dixon said the NCAA has taken strides in recent years to give the student-athletes more power and freedom, whether it’s the NCAA transfer portal or greater “cost-of-living” stipends. But making financial deals with agents crosses the amateur/ professional line.

The punishments for those sorts of issue are severe. Look no further than how the NCAA handled Hernandez and De Sousa.

“They clearly have made the rules -- they don’t want agents involved in amateur athletics,” Dixon said. “They’re sticking to that. As much as the student-athlete has been given over the last five years or so, they’re sticking strong by that.”

This story was originally published February 4, 2019 at 2:20 PM.