Can College Athletes Read This?

It seems like every few years, there's some new investigation launched into college football's academic integrity. Today, another investigation was launched, this time by ESPN.

And while it's nothing to new to hear that athletes at BCS schools don't meet the standards of the general students, it's a little alarming to hear that they can't even read. Here, one star recruit meets his academic adviser for the first time:

"You might as well know right off the bat, I can't read," he told her.

"Then how are we going to get through these college classes?" she asked.

"It's easy," he responded. "You get to read to me."

Indeed, according to testimony from a former "learning specialist" at Florida State, Dr. Brenda Monk, as well as that of former All-World recruit Fred Rouse, it's not uncommon for athletes with severe academic deficiencies to enroll at FSU.

Rouse--who was dismissed from FSU, and then UTEP, after starting as a freshman and drawing comparisons to Randy Moss--mentioned FSU star Antonio Cromartie as one player who truly could not read, and often slept through classes.

And he's the perfect case study, really: having competed for two years at FSU, Cromartie took his game to the NFL, where he's now an All-Pro cornerback. Had he been deprived of the college experience-- college coaching and competition, specifically -- Cromartie wouldn't be where he is today. Should we shun players like Cromartie in the name of protecting the illusion of "student-athletes" and academic integrity?

That's not rhetorical; it's a question that every college program must grapple with. Athletes will never be on par with the general student populations, but that's not to say that a college experience can't change their lives. So, where's the line, the standard that everyone must meet?

Every school answers that question differently, and it's open to interpretation. But anyone that thinks Florida State's the only program to take a liberal stance on this issue, well... they may be in need of a "learning specialist" themselves.