A story about the now annual post-season ritual for OSU football seniors and juniors who declare early: the autograph circuit.
For Ohio State senior football players, there are three distinct seasons each year. Regular season. Bowl season. Autograph season.
When the Buckeyes won the national title with their victory in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, what had been a smattering of signings morphed into a nearly statewide circuit of public and private autograph shows. Owners of memorabilia stores, online autograph retailers, agents, middlemen and players all know the deal and how to find each other.
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“Going to Ohio State, the older guys talked about it,” said senior offensive lineman Rob Sims, a Nordonia High School graduate. “The national championship [year] those guys were cleaning up. I’m sure a big player like A.J. could probably do one every day. I just go where I fit in and make as much as I can.”
It is a madness in this state. Every week it seems since the season ends there is an autograph session somewhere in the Cleveland area. I can’t imagine what the frequency is in Columbus.
Believe me, I don’t begrudge college football players cashing in on stupidity. Just remember to report those payments, kids. That’s how they got Pete Rose.
For example, one expert said that Hawk could be paid $5,000 for some events, sometimes less and sometimes more. As the most popular Buckeye, Hawk will turn down signing opportunities while he prepares for the NFL draft and his remaining OSU class work. But appearing at 10 to 20 events could earn Hawk upwards of $50,000.
Less-popular players, appearing at a handful of events, may pull in about $2,000 total.
Hawk, Carpenter and Schlegel are to appear as a linebacker trio on March 3 at the Cleveland Auto Show. A show spokesman said they would be paid a total of about $10,000 for signing two hours of free autographs, with Hawk, the main draw, getting a larger chunk.
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Officials at the University of Michigan, at Penn State, at Notre Dame, at Texas and at Southern California said that no equivalent organized autograph frenzy exists for those popular programs.
Come on, I have faith in Texas. Just one more little selling point CheatyPants McSweatervest can point to during recruiting season.
