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Ex-NCAA stars join film project about student-athlete exploitation
Several former college stars, including Heisman winner Desmond Howard, former Cal standout Aaron Rodgers and Miami great Ray Lewis, have joined a movie project led by former LSU wideout Abram Booty, a high school coach in California, aimed at illuminating college athlete exploitation and the NCAA.
Booty, whose brothers Josh (LSU) and John David (USC), also played major college football, said he was moved to write "Work Horses" by seeing one of John David's teammates, former Trojans star receiver Dwayne Jarrett, walking by himself to a nearby McDonalds hungry and with little money in his pocket after being named MVP of the Rose Bowl.
"What flowed out was a culmination of years of stories -- kids from single family homes, sons of farmers, friends with long term injuries, players who felt the heartbreak of losing a coach they trusted in the middle of their career, teammates suspended for taking 'improper benefits' in the form of food or clothing," writes Booty on his Kickstarter page. "I had seen it all. As I sat and wrote, I combined my real experiences into the characters I developed. Each one intended to address a core issue of the NCAA system."
Production of the film is scheduled to start March 2016.
Bruce Feldman is a senior college football reporter and columnist for FOXSports.com and FS1. He is also a New York Times best-selling author. His new book, "The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks," came out in October 2014. Follow him on Twitter @BruceFeldmanCFB and Facebook.
