College athletes could be receiving direct payments from their schools as early as 2025. And the NCAA likely will continue to do everything in its power to prevent them from being deemed university employees, whose salaries are typically a matter of public record.
But whether players are considered employed by a university or not, will the direct payments schools make to them be public information?
“That is a great question,” said Dave Cuillier, director of the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida.
“Certainly, in most states, payments by government agencies to anyone are subject to public records laws, whether faculty, staff or student workers. That wouldn’t include private universities, but payments from public universities to student athletes should be available for anyone to see. That is, of course, if the legislatures don’t pass an exemption keeping it secret,” he told the Deseret News in an email.
Read more about the NCAA’s proposed pay-for-play model and the other questions it raises.