Tim Tebow against a California bill allowing student athletes to get paid

California lawmakers passed a bill on Monday that would allow college athletes to be paid for the use of their names and likeness—a concept that is strictly forbidden by the NCAA.

The NCAA Board of Governors sent a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom stating their disapproval (obviously).

They wrote that, if passed, the bill known as “The Fair Pay to Play Act” would “erase the critical distinction between college and professional athletes because it gives those schools an unfair recruiting advantage, (it) would result in them eventually being unable to compete in NCAA competitions.”

Based on a quick Twitter search, it looks like it’s pretty much the NCAA vs. the world. However, one former Florida Gator and Heisman Trophy winner is backing up the association. That’s right. Tim Tebow does not want college athletes getting paid.

Tebow joined ESPN’s First Take on Friday to express his thoughts on the matter. He said he has some credibility, due to his Florida Gators jersey being a top-seller around the world while he was a student-athlete.

“...But I didn’t make a dollar from it. Nor did I want to. I knew going into college, what it was all about. I knew going to Florida, my dream school, where I wanted to go, the passion for it. And if I could support my team, support my college, support my university, that’s what it’s all about. But now we’re changing it from us and we and my university - from being an alumni, which makes us care and what makes college football and college sports special - to it’s not about us, it’s not about we, it’s just about me.”

Tebow continued saying that paying players will ultimately lead to college football turning into the NFL. Athletes will play for whoever has the most money, thus taking away the traditions and passion.

The former quarterback has received quite a bit of backlash on Twitter and beyond. The most used argument being that Tebow was privileged growing up and could afford to play for “free.”

Governor Newsom is expected to sign off on the bill, which would put the law into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. Whatever your opinion might be, I wouldn’t be surprised if other states begin to follow suit.

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“I’m not there at the moment. Like you said, next year can I say that? We’ll talk again next year and we’ll see.”

Urban Meyer on returning to coaching via Doug Lesmerises, Cleveland.com

We’re three weeks into the college football season and Urban Meyer is feeling a little...antsy.

While the former Ohio State head coach has his hands full as a TV analyst, teacher, assistant athletic director, motivational speaker, husband, father, and grandfather (to name a few), Meyer says he misses “the fight.”

“I’ve been in a fight for 33 years, and now you’re not in that fight,” Meyer told Lesmerises. “So how do you fulfill that fight? And I feel that every morning. Every morning.”

“It’s all about a win and a loss for 33 years. I mean every day was. Not just you’re getting ready for a game. No, no, no, no. You’re recruiting every day. You’re going against Alabama and Clemson every day, The Team Up North every day. Now you’re not. That’s the number one void, is you’re not in a fight.”

While he may miss “the fight”— it’s what got him the third-highest winning percentage in college football history, after all— it’s also what led to his retirement. Fighting equates to stress, and Meyer’s 33 years of stress produced a cyst in his brain, leaving him no choice but to call it quits.

Now, Meyer says his health has improved, and for the first time in a long time, he’s watching college football in his living room. He misses it.

There have been plenty of hot takes when it comes to Meyer’s return. Many have speculated Meyer will take over the football programs at USC and Notre Dame. Most recently, his name has been tossed in the mix for the newly vacant USC athletic director position.

In their interview, Lesmerises asked Meyer point-blank if we can expect to see him on the sidelines again anytime soon.

“I’m not there at the moment,” Meyer said. “Like you said, next year can I say that? We’ll talk again next year and we’ll see.”

In other words, I’m not sure Meyer knows what he wants. He misses competition, he misses making an impact on young peoples’ lives, he misses being a leader. He’s also enjoying his new-found health and time with his family. Coaching football isn’t the only place he can scratch his competitive itch— there’s more than enough in the sports broadcasting realm. He’s also impacting young people every week through his leadership class at Ohio State.

Is that enough for the three-time national champion? I’m not sure, and I don’t think he is either.

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“We have tried to be as consistent as possible [in recruiting] fit . . we are looking for skill, we are looking for feel and IQ and an understanding of how to play. And we’re looking for guys who are interested in playing in part of a team environment.”

-Ohio State basketball head coach Chris Holtmann on Basketball Immersion’s “The Basketball Podcast”

Chris Holtmann is coming up on his third season as the Buckeyes’ head coach, and he gave Chris Oliver of Basketball Immersion some insight on how he’s been preparing his team for a successful 2019-20 season.

His theme for the upcoming season? Play smart, teamwork, and consistency.

“My college coach called it ‘the monotony of excellence’,” Holtman told Oliver. “This idea of do your work consistently on a day-to-day basis, as well as you can and, ultimately, you’ll get what you’ve earned and you’ll be ready for the next step.”

The 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year said a more diverse offense and an older, smarter team are the keys to getting better. A smart team, in Holtmann’s eyes, will know the specifics in how he wants them to play.

“We want to dominate effort plays,” Holtmann said. “We want to be a great teammate. We want to set the rules of the game in terms of our approach, our toughness and how we attack. We want to play with an edge.”

The basketball program will face Cincinnati in the first game of the season. The season opener will be on Nov. 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET in the Schottenstein Center.

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Stick to Sports

• The fourth Democratic presidential debate will be held Oct. 15 at Otterbein University.
• A baby born at 9:11 p.m. on 9/11 weighed 9 pounds, 11 ounces.
• Going to the game on Saturday? I-465 in Indy is under considerable construction. If at all possible, use alternate means to get to Bloomington in time for the big game.
• Another actress was put in jail over the college admissions scandal.