“Maybe It Ain’t RACISM Maybe It’s PLACISM”

The NCAA recently implemented a new surprise stipulation placed upon agents seeking to represent college athletes. Before last week amateur athletes were allowed to retain the services of agents to gauge their professional potential without garnishing that amateur eligibility. The NCAA has now instituted a new rule with additional criteria for agents to posses before representing these future pro athletes. The original rule covered all NBPA certified agents but with the recent changes to the criteria it seems a SELECT few guys are being targeted in particular RICH PAUL. Rich Paul is super agent and close confidant of one Lebron James. Some may ask why is the new changes made by the NCAA being dubbed the “Rich Paul Rule” or why do you say it’s Rich Paul being targeted. I say maybe it’s not all about one Rich Paul maybe it’s about Rich Paul and the younger Rich Paul’s of the world. Added to the list of requirements a agent now needs: a Bachelors Degree, Certified by the NBPA for a minimum of 3 years, and now has to take a IN-PERSON exam at theNCAA office in Indianapolis. Now we can dive into the TARGETING aspect of this rule change. As stated before Rich Paul started in this game because he was a close friend to Lebron James. To many people who have access to the internet and a TV we all have a overwhelming sense that Lebron James has the most power ever as a athlete since one Michael Jordan. Rich Paul met Lebron James at Akron-Canton Airport where the two met and sparked a conversation based upon throwback football jersey of Warren Moon that Paul was wearing. Soon after the two did a small business transaction involving a Magic Johnson and Joe Namath throwback jersey (yes this was back when women was wearing jersey dresses and doing the chicken head to Chingy in their mirrors to Right Thurr). Like a REAL man with morals once Lebron James was drafted by the hometown Cleveland Cavaliers he put his mans on. He asked Paul to be apart of his inner circle which included Maverick Carter and Randy Mims and got to the business. Paul worked closely with Leon Rose Lebron agent at the time. After soaking up the game Paul set out on his own adventure in 2012 he stepped out and created his own agency “Kluth Sports” and his first client was none other than Lebron James. Paul didn’t attend Harvard law school or Yale or Princeton or even Morehouse like majority of the great entrepreneurs and business owners Rich received his higher learning through life lessons and hustling. Like they say the best lesson is often times one experienced not one that was taught. Paul May have started a trend which is why I say theNCAA is targeting he and other entrepreneurs like himself. In 2018 Paul advised a high school graduate and future NCAA athlete to try a non traditional route to the NBA. Instead of matriculating to Syracuse where he signed a letter of intent prospect Darius Bazley decided with the help of Paul to forgo his freshman season and to accept a internship with shoe company New Balance which offered him 1million dollars with no strings attached thus taking him and his family out of poverty. Before bazley Brandon Jennings took a similar route he by passed a year USC to play basketball overseas for a year before declaring fr the NBA draft the only difference here is a player was able to by pass the NCAA make money in the business world gain affordable knowledge in the corporate world all by skipping college staying debt free and not allowing the NCAA to make more money off of his name. Since this has happened many athletes have voiced their displeasure with the NCAA calling the corporation corrupt and a money pit that doesn’t have the amateur athletes best interest at heart. The biggest of those out spoken athletes is the biggest figure head in the sports world today Lebron James who is represented by Rich Paul. Also represented by Rich is Anthony Davis who caused headlines and friction when he demanded a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans in hopes to land in LA with fellow Klutch sports client Lebron James. Hence the title “Maybe it ain’t racism maybe it’s placism”. Like Jamie Foxx said in the movie maybe a brother just needs to know his place. Paul has not taken money away from the NCAA as of yet, especially not a amount to cause a depletion in funds. So why target him? In my opinion the NCAA is targeting Paul in hopes to keep the next rich Paul from coming up with a bigger better idea that could possibly take down their entire operation.