Fair or Foul for College Coaches to Withhold Cost-of-Attendance Money?

Let's make one thing abundantly clear: Student-athletes—college football players, specifically, as it pertains to this discussion—are not employees. Now, whether you think they should be is a discussion for another day. But, as it stands in August 2015, they are amateurs, not professionals. 

In light of the Ed O'Bannon class-action lawsuit and Northwestern unionization push, the NCAA has dug its heels in regarding this philosophy. So why are some coaches acting like their players are employees with regards to the full cost-of-attendance stipend?

It started Wednesday when Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster made a bold statement that the coaching staff was looking into "fining" players from their cost-of-attendance money for disciplinary issues. Here's the entire Q&A exchange with Andy Bitter of the Roanoke Times: 

Foster's answer reads:

"

We're going to look at that. Instead of... you know, some people got in trouble for getting up and punishing people at 6 in the morning. And obviously you need some discipline. I think that's one way that you could potentially do that, to control that a little bit. These guys now, they haven't had access to money unless they've been Pell Grant recipients. So they'll want that when it's all said and done at the end of the day.

"

The outcry was about what you'd expect: brutal. However, it's a fair criticism. The concept of docking players from their full cost-of-attendance stipend, which is financial aid players are entitled to, is absurd. (Furthermore, where does the money go?)

On Thursday, a picture from the Richmond Times-Dispatch showed a list of things for which Hokies players could be fined. Whether this was enforced or not isn't known, but it does include performance-based fines such as unsportsmanlike/flagrant penalties. That could be a major problem. 

At best, that type of punishment scale is impermissible unless it's written into grant-in-aid agreements, as noted by two compliance Twitter accounts: 

"

@drridpath @BryanDFischer @normwood This would not even be permissible under current NCAA rules. Coach can't reduce financial aid

— Ryan Squire (@ryanrsquire) August 26, 2015"

At worst, it's an odd disciplinary move that shows just how in the dark some are about what cost of attendance really means. What it certainly does not mean is pay for play. 

Yet, on Thursday, ESPN's Joe Schad relayed that Cincinnati head coach Tommy Tuberville and athletic director Mike Bohn were all-in on docking players' COA money as a disciplinary measure. 

Did they not get the memo?

It's at least understandable that a head coach wouldn't know all the do's and don'ts of scholarship money, but for an athletic director to double-down on this issue is eye-opening. 

Make no mistake—this disciplinary measure is never going to happen on a widespread scale. Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock has already struck it down. Rest assured Babcock will verify that any of the Hokies coaching staff's future off-the-wall ideas will be in concert with compliance rules before they go public.  

Another part of this conversation raises the question: Why would any coach want to make this his platform? In what universe is announcing plans to take money away from players smart, especially with such disparity among cost-of-attendance numbers throughout the U.S.? That's a one-way ticket to getting crushed on the recruiting trail. 

The other thing it does is provide a cop-out to coaches. Get busted for pot? Violate team rules? It's easier to fine a player his scholarship money and put him on the field Saturday to help win a game, as Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com tweeted: 

The notion of a "fine" ultimately adds more ammo to the argument that college football players are more employees than students. Whether it's in the O'Bannon trial or unionization push, the term "amateurism" has been put on blast. 

Now, we have two coaches and an athletic director who want to discipline players as if they were paid employees—even if they state otherwise on the record. 

If coaches want to treat their players like professionals, we need to have a serious conversation about changing titles and the direction of college football. If those coaches are hellbent on calling student-athletes "amateurs," however, then the No. 1 job should be to protect them, not take away what's theirs. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.