According to the NCAA sports contract concerning amateurism, an athlete is considered a professional if they are paid in any form or accept the promise of pay for using your athletic abilities in any type of sports contest. So are the student athletes considered professionals since they are being paid ? and if not, why can't the universities pick up NFL and USFL players who still have eligibility left in college . my thoughts are, can we go after a Mike Rose or Hakeem Butler since they left early? spit balling and just thinking outside the box.