‘Last Chance U’ star Brittany Wagner voices concern for student-athletes, life after football
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Earlier this month, UCLA QB Josh Rosen ignited a debate about the athletic and academic demands of student-athletes at major college football programs after comments he made in an interview with the Bleacher Report.
Arkansas sports talk host Bo Mattingly talked to someone familiar with the demands of student-athletes at a well-known college, albeit not Power 5. Brittany Wagner, the breakout star of Netflix’s “Last Chance U” documentary series, told Mattingly that a lot is asked of football players.
Wagner: We put a lot of demands and pressures on athletes, and then we expect them to carry on with the rigors of academics.
— Bo Mattingly (@SportandStoryBo) August 17, 2017
In Wagner’s opinion, the current system is falling short of preparing football players for life after football, which she sees as problematic with the schools profiting off of football players.
Wagner: We’re making a lot of money off these young people, & I don’t think we’re doing a good job of prepping them for life after football.
— Bo Mattingly (@SportandStoryBo) August 17, 2017
On “Last Chance U,” Wagner is East Mississippi Community College’s academic advisor. She has left the school to launch her own academic consulting service, Ten Thousand Pencils.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
