Eagles' Zach Ertz, former Temple coach Fran Dunphy weigh in on NCAA's decision to allow athlete compensation

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The NCAA took a major step Tuesday toward allowing college athletes to cash in on their fame, voting to permit them to "benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness."

The nation's largest governing body for college sports and its member schools now must figure out how to allow athletes to profit - something they have fought against doing for years - while still maintaining rules regarding amateurism. The NCAA Board of Governors, meeting at Emory University in Atlanta, directed each of the NCAA's three divisions to create the necessary new rules immediately and have them in place no later than January 2021.

"I think its about time," said Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, who was a student athlete at Stanford University.

"I had to struggle at times to find food at times, it's the right thing to do," he said. "Obviously I don't know exactly how its going to work or the cost benefit analysis."

And that's what the NCAA is trying to hash out between now and January 2021; tasking its divisions-- D1, D2 and D3- with creating some guidelines and rules.

"How would this have played a role in recruiting?" asked reporter Christie Ileto.

"I don't see it being a whole lot different for the kids that we were recruiting over the years. I just don't," said former Temple basketball coach Fran Dunphy.

Dunphy spent 48 years coaching high school and college ball at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple, winning several league championships before retiring.

Earlier this month California passed a law that allows college athletes to get money from endorsements and hire agents. Pennsylvania lawmakers were also floating similar legislation.

And now a move from the NCAA, that has few specifics.

"There's so many decisions that still have to be made. The theory is great? But the question is how do you distribute these dollars and who do you distribute them to?" said Dunphy.