76ers Rookie Ben Simmons Takes on College Sports: ‘The NCAA Is Messed Up’
Ben Simmons’ quest to take down the NCAA has officially begun.
The former LSU Tiger, who was drafted number one by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA Draft following one year at college, has teamed up with Showtime Sports to release a documentary titled One and Done. While the documentary follows Simmons from his time as a high school prospect competing in Australia to being drafted, a big focus is placed on the corruption of the NCAA. Simmons told ESPN that academics are “pointless” for one-and-done athletes and the organization wasted his only year in college by asking him to attend classes.
“The NCAA is really fucked up,” Simmons says in the documentary. “Everybody’s making money except the players. We’re the ones waking up early as hell to be the best teams and do everything they want us to do and then the players get nothing. They say education, but if I’m there for a year, I can’t get much education.”
Along the way, Simmons reportedly talks about the dealings of fame and how he had to avoid certain temptations, such as free Bentley’s, watches, jewelry and a house while he was at LSU. Simmons also admitted to not attending class after he became eligible at the end of the first semester, which isn’t a huge surprise seeing as he with his GPA falling under the 2.0 requirement. He has even admitted to as much on Twitter.
“[Coach] Jones said, ‘We need to make up a punishment if you miss another class,'” Simmons said. “I missed my next class about preparing for better study habits. I’m going to the NBA next season. Why bullshit if it’s not going to help me?”
The reason Simmons is doing this now? He feels as though he can “be a voice for everybody in college.” If you’re interested in hearing what he has to say, One and Done will air on Showtime at 9 p.m. on Friday, November 4th.