And that was one of the rare decisions the NCAA got absolutely right. Otherwise, every 5-star linebacker would’ve turned pro in badminton, signed a 7-figure endorsement deal with a Tuscaloosa car dealership, and made occasional appearances at the “Bear Bryant Annual Badminton Invitational”… provided they also decided to play linebacker Alabama.

It sucked for Bloom that he was caught between needing the sponsor money to continue his Olympic dream and wanting to play football, but allowing NCAA athletes to accept sponsor money for a different sport, under the current rules, is absolute madness.