So you can't think of a single elite athlete in College football that had a career ending injury during college football? Really?
Look I get all the arguments against paying college student athletes. I selfishly would like things to stay the same to enjoy college football. I suspect this will only harm college football. But there are definitely instances where elite college football players lose millions of dollars by not making an NFL roster due to suffering a substantial injury at the college level.
Well, unfortunately there will always be exceptions to the rule and people who get the short end. I think the insurance policies help in that regard, but it's not full proof of course. So I do get that argument. But those case are really just examples of being exposed to the real world which often sucks. To me, this merely speeds that exposure up.
The fact that the state of Florida has already tried to get in front of things by "ensuring" that this can only be after enrollment essentially says that they know this will be a recruiting nightmare. And given the fact that in terms of intelligence and pure business sense, the private sector will always win against public sector, there will be loopholes and abuses literally day one. So, what does the GM of a dealership or higher up at Florida Pest Control do in a case like James Robinson. Money is offered, even if it doesn't change hands until enrollment, and he decides to sign with UF. Then it's realized he has a heart condition and can't play. Are we to assume that such a contract will not contain clauses and verbiage that can allow them to void the agreement? Further, if that's the direction we're headed, would schools not then be more inclined to truly apply the year to year element of the scholarship arrangement, thereby giving them the option to cut his schooling after just one year? After all, we're saying that it's a "business". So where does that leave someone like that? Under the current arrangement, he still gets an opportunity to get a great degree and be successful. Now, why would UF feel the need to do that when he just got 50k for a commercial(signing really).
I don't know what you do at UF Health, but I imagine if en route to work on your first day, you had an accident that prevented you from ever being able to complete your job, they--as empathetic as they may be--wouldn't continue paying you for years while getting nothing in return, as that position would have to be filled by someone else who they'd be obligated to pay.
So again, I do understand some of the arguments. I hate stories like Chester, Lattimore, etc. Terrible endings for great kids. And I've never been dead set against this per se. But I think approaching this as "oh sure, everything will be fine, better even" is refusing to see reality. It will likely be so hard to manage and control that it probably creates many more problems than it solves.