I might be advocating exactly what he fears

I think it'd be fine to have football as a ND in Name Only semi-pro sport, separate from the university.

The NFL is getting its milk for free, and the universities don't want to relinquish the cash cow they've developed. It'd take years, if ever, to organically develop the following of university athletics in a minor league. Fine, we're now the owner of the AAA ND Fighting Irish.

Is eligibility a concern? Right now we come up with sort of BS reasons for people to stay for a 5th year anyway. If they're professional athletes with proper compensation, it's just a contract.

I honestly think Title 9 as a defense is about as flimsy as people around here who claim the homeless blocking the sidewalks is an ADA concern - it's a deceptive legal vehicle and a means to an end. However, I would say if I'm a star point guard for ND women's basketball, I'd be sort of pissed that the star point guard for the men's team is making 10x for the same level of effort.

We may do this, but it doesn't make it right, and we shouldn't seek to make it less right. To suggest "that's how things work" ignores the fact that we're trying to fix how thinks work in an equitable (forgive the use of a currently fraught word) fashion.