Over the last few months, the "news" that Reggie Bush and his family received cash and gifts during his tenure at USC has dominated the headlines of sports. The problem is, as with any other high profile athlete, these stories are revealing "secrets" that most of the rest of us already knew: college athletes are essentially lower paid pros.

Schools for years have reaped the windfalls that these athletes bring. A serious Heisman trophy candidate can bring nationally broadcast games to the communities where these colleges are located, not to mention the recruiting gold for these candidates. And so, the less than scrupulous schools with nothing to risk send out their alumni with cash in hand to throw at these athletes, because, at the very worst, the exposure will put the school into the headlines, and in our culture of rubber neckers, bad news draws even bigger crowds than good news. As a result, the higher profile programs will jump into the fray. Over the years, though, the higher profile programs have done a better job of maintaining the appearance of separation from the alumni who buy these players, and rarely suffer the consequences. While an Oklahoma or Oklahoma State might go on probation, it is an unlikely penalty for Ohio State, USC, or any school in the state of Florida.

Reason would dictate that it's time to stop pretending these athletes are amateurs. Just as it's absurd to pretend that most higher tier athletes aren't doing steroids, it's absurd to pretend these athletes aren't being paid. When the college quarterback whose father makes $25 an hour on a Detroit assembly line sports a necklace worth twice Pop's annual salary, it's reasonable to assume he didn't buy those things from cashing in savings bonds. Make stipends for college athletes (and, for that matter, for students on academic scholarships as well) above the table where the money trail is obvious, and penalize harshly those who don't obey the broadened rules.