Players Leaving Early a Big Blow to Colleges

In her article, “Going Pro” (Jan. 7), is Julie Cart kidding when she says that undergraduate athletes turning pro are not hurting college athletics? Don’t tell that to Larry Smith, Terry Donahue, Jim Harrick, George Raveling and Peter Dalis.

Smith would still be coaching at USC if he had not developed star athletes who left school early and left the football program in the lurch. UCLA might have been in the Rose Bowl if Tommy Maddox hadn’t left. And with the loss of Tracy Murray, the UCLA basketball team went from a probable final eight team to one that will struggle to reach the playoffs.

With top players leaving early, attendance is down, and that loss of revenue hurts the entire athletic program. If Julie Cart believes the pro draft of undergraduates isn’t hurting college athletics, she should, as Todd Donoho says, take a hike.

JACK ALLEN

Pacific Palisades