The 24/7 dilemma

In 1991, the NCAA's Division I schools — at the behest of a group of campus CEOs known as the Presidents Commission — passed a rule limiting college football players' participation in practice and film study to 20 hours a week during the school year.
Thomas Hearn, president of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and former president of Wake Forest, was a member of the Presidents Commission in 1991. The idea behind time limits, he said, was to produce a more well-rounded student who was part of the overall student body. - College Football -
The year-round devotion to a sport, Hearn said, is something that starts in high school and has become a "terrible" thing.
"What you need is a genuinely voluntary program," Hearn said of the summer strength and conditioning programs. "I'm sure there are people who do not want to be there and want to go on vacation with their families and want to do something else that will contribute to their growth and development." - College Football -
But Georgia's Golston insisted he is chasing a dream and would be in a weight room somewhere if the Bulldogs training facility was padlocked. "When I was younger, I missed being home with my family in the summer, but right now this is my family."
Golston said the players gathered at the home of the offensive linemen for Game 6 of the NBA Finals. There were about 60 players, and they grilled steaks and hamburgers and watched the game on TV. - College Football -
Golston said a crowd of players will also go bowling. "It's fun, but we're not very good," he said.
Georgia head coach Mark Richt insisted passionate players are doing what they want to fulfill a dream.
He also wonders what players would be doing with their free time if they were not working out.
"Would they be home playing video games all day? Vegging out on the couch?" Richt said. "We're not talking about an all-day workout here." - College Football -
Georgia Tech's Henderson said he would be back home in New Orleans "getting in trouble."
California coach Jeff Tedford said his players are taking courses during the summer and can graduate early and move into graduate programs by the time they are starting their last season of eligibility. According to NCAA rules, if athletes are enrolled in summer school, they must take a minimum of six hours.
"They want to be together, they want to accomplish their goals, but it's not something they spend all day doing," Tedford said.
Besides taking classes, athletes hold part-time jobs. Shockley works the lunch hour during the week waiting tables at the restaurant at the university's conference center restaurant.
Part of the arms race - College Football -
The voluntary summer camps for players seem as mandatory these days as the facilities arms race in college football. Keep up or fall behind is the mantra. If one school renovates its weight room, the next school renovates its weight room.
Georgia Tech's Henderson was told about the numbers of players at rival Georgia and said, "We're working just as hard as they are."
Hearn calls this relentlessness surrounding college athletics "unfortunate." He added that, without fear of reprisal, he could find players who would admit they do not want to participate in the voluntary workouts but feel pressured. - College Football -
"The idea you need constant improvement to develop yourself and your team is a pretty standard idea," Hearn said. "The question is, is it voluntary?
"The difference between rules and the enforcement of rules is all the difference in the world. What coaches and athletic directors do with those rules is where the substance of the matter lies." - College Football -
Steve Mallonee, a managing director for membership services in Division I, said complaints about the nature of the summer camps and whether athletes are forced to participate are rare.

Ray Glier, special for USA TODAY