Peterson: 'College athletes should be paid'

Updated
Peterson: College Athletes Should Be Paid
Peterson: College Athletes Should Be Paid



The debate about whether the NCAA should pay college athletes has consumed many sports fans across the country.

Count Adrian Peterson as the latest to weigh in on the cloudy subject.

The Minnesota Vikings running back sounded off on a conference call Wednesday to promote a recovering icing device called Hyperice that he endorses, according to ESPN.com reports.

He said, players "are the ones making these universities money" and singled out quarterback Johnny Manziel, who he claimed brought in tons of revenue for his respective school. "Johnny Manziel made Texas A&M so much money. When I was at Oklahoma, they made so much money."

The report said Peterson, who rushed for 1,266 and 10 touchdowns for the Vikings this past season, also spoke out against NBA commissioner Adam Silver's comments that basketball players should stay in school for two years.

"They're trying to make basketball players go two years in college. Wow. I wonder why?" Peterson said. "Think about it -- just imagine if LeBron James had been in college for two years. How much money would that college have made off LeBron James? They would have made so much money off LeBron James. It's about the freedom to do as you want and make your own decisions."

When Peterson was a student-athlete at Oklahoma, he said, his first daughter was born, adding responsibilities outside of "playing football and going to class."

"Nobody wants to live in the dorms for four years," Peterson said. "You see the guys who are older, and they have responsibilities. I feel like, as much money as universities make, some of that should come down to the players, as well."

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