Ex-NFL star JJ Watt demands NCAA drop 'charade' around student-athletes

Boise State star Ashton Jeanty talks to Fox News Digital about his experience with name, image and likeness while dominating the football field.

Former NFL star J.J. Watt called out the NCAA on Monday for referring to collegiate athletes as students first.

Watt, in a post on X, pointed to the money the organization makes, the advent of name, image and likeness (NIL), the transfer portal and the cross-country travel teams have to make.

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Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt, #99, reacts after a loss to the Patriots at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Dec. 12, 2022. (Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK)

"At some point the NCAA needs to drop the ‘student first, athlete second’ charade," the former Wisconsin Badgers star wrote. "Billions of dollars, NIL, transfer portal (free agency), traveling cross-country for midweek games…

"Education is not the main focus. Admit it and call it what it is. A business. Run it as such."

When one X user noticed that Watt’s point seemed to only refer to the best players in the best programs, Watt agreed.

"That’s exactly my point," Watt added. "We’ve got kids who aren’t ‘making money’ and will never go pro, yet they are traveling across the country midweek for ‘conference games,’ transferring schools, sacrificing studies for sport, etc. None of this is about what’s doing best for the student."

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Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman J.J. Watt, #99, comes onto the field prior to a game against the Patriots at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Dec. 12, 2022. (Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Many college coaches in