INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Desmond Ridder spent the days leading up to last year’s NFL draft preparing for his final college season and awaiting the birth of his first child.
The veteran quarterback returned to campus hoping to improve his draft stock, increase his potential future earnings and lead Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff.
Last summer’s NCAA decision to allow athletes to profit from their celebrity status has led to angst in college sports as an newfangled market with millions of dollars becomes intertwined with recruiting.
But it also made it possible for Ridder to chase his college dreams – and support his family. Ridder, now a possible first-round pick, found it was the perfect combination.
“It allowed me to kind of relax, especially financially,” he said at the NFL’s scouting combine. “You know, having a house at the time, paying bills, which I probably wouldn’t have been able to do just on a COA (cost-of-attendance stipend), so being able to start a family in April when I welcomed my daughter to this world, it just made me calm and sort of gave me a sense of security.”