When it comes to college athletics, I often find myself asking,
"What about the student-athlete?" To some college coaches
and administrators, these hard-working 18- to 22-year-old men and
women are treated first as athletes and secondarily as students,
with too little regard for their well-being.
Recently, I represented a female volleyball player who attended
an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) school. Her story illustrates
the problem that many college athletes face while navigating their
college careers — the imbalance in power between coaches and
young athletes.
It all began when I got a blind call from a concerned mother.
Initially, I thought this was a call from a protective parent upset
that her daughter wasn't getting enough playing time, a fairly
common scenario among collegiate athletes. Instead, the mother
detailed the treatment her daughter endured from the coaching staff
at her school.
