The NCAA may need to mandate new “dead periods” to rein in the time demands on college athletes that increasingly pull them away from the classroom, NCAA president Mark Emmert said Wednesday.

“One of the things that’s being very actively discussed right now is the creation — it would have to be sport-by-sport, of course — for serious dead periods,” Emmert told reporters following a breakfast speech to members of the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce.

Athletes would be forbidden in such periods “from going to the weight room, forbidden from having practice, forbidden from being engaged in any informal practices,” Emmert said.

I think they used to have that period once.  It was called “summer”.

Emmert was just getting rolling, folks.

In his speech, Emmert noted that a top college football player recently said he spent 354 days of the year on his sport. “He had 11 days … when he wasn’t doing something for football,” said Emmert, who did not name the player…

… In his speech, Emmert also reiterated his opposition to paying college athletes. He said schools’ academic missions would be compromised by such pay. “If you’re a football player, you’re a football player,” he said. “Why would I pay you to [play and go to school]?”

Asked and answered, albeit in a totally disconnected manner.

He got a standing ovation for this.  Really.

(h/t John Infante)