Because someone with decision-making power said in a meeting, “You know what’d be a good idea? Dropping $10,000 into the middle of the Georgia Dome and letting people just have it.”
That’s going to be the event this Saturday. On its official Facebook page, Georgia State is advertising a $10,000 cash drop during a football game between GSU and New Hampshire. According to the description “The cash will be dropping from the A-ring of the Dome onto the field. Students with vouchers will be brought onto the field to participate.”
I know what you’re thinking — okay, maybe you’re not thinking it, but I’ll clarify anyway — no, this is not an NCAA violation in the event that a GSU athlete is among the students grabbing for money. Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated explains:
I was curious as to whether Georgia State basketball post players, who would have an obvious cash-grabbing advantage because of their height, wingspan and leaping ability, could participate given the NCAA’s rules against extra benefits. So I asked John Infante, a former athletic department compliance officer and the author of the essential Bylaw Blog, for an interpretation. Infante wrote that since the cash drop is open to any student, then it would not qualify as an extra benefit for a Georgia State athlete. To all those grabbing for the cash, good luck in the scrum.