UCLA Quarterback Josh Rosen: ‘Football And School Don’t Go Together’

UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen completes a pass against Arizona. Image by Getty Images
(JTA) — Josh Rosen, UCLA’s starting quarterback and a highly touted NFL prospect, has taken flak before for being outspoken about his views. Last year, he said that college football should be considered a professional sport and wore a hat that said “F— Trump” while golfing on one of Trump’s golf courses.
In an interview with Bleacher Report on Tuesday, Rosen doubled down on his criticism of the college football model, which he believes leaves no time for academic coursework.
“Look, football and school don’t go together,” he said. “They just don’t. Trying to do both is like trying to do two full-time jobs. There are guys who have no business being in school, but they’re here because this is the path to the NFL. There’s no other way. Then there’s the other side that says raise the SAT eligibility requirements. OK, raise the SAT requirement at Alabama and see what kind of team they have. You lose athletes and then the product on the field suffers.”
“It’s not that they shouldn’t be in school,” he continued. “Human beings don’t belong in school with our schedules. No one in their right mind should have a football player’s schedule, and go to school. It’s not that some players shouldn’t be in school; it’s just that universities should help them more — instead of just finding ways to keep them eligible.”
Rosen, 20, an economics major entering his junior year, went on to explain that he wants to get an MBA and create his own business after playing in the NFL.