The demise of NCAA Football was a consequence of a lawsuit filed by a coalition of former players headed by Ed O'Bannon, an ex-UCLA and NBA forward. The lawsuit demanded payment for commercial use of amateur athlete' images.
When asked if they were bringing the NCAA Football video game back, Herbstreit replied, "They better. I can't believe Ed O'Bannon took that game away from us."
Kirk Herbstreit was a senior Ohio State quarterback when the inaugural version of NCAA Football dropped in 1993. Within a decade, the Centerville-grad was featured on the game as an analyst along with Brad Nessler and Coach Lee Corso.
“I can’t even tell you how many hours we put in on that game,” Herbstreit said.
Herbstreit opposes the decision, claiming that athletes want the franchise to return, whether they get paid or not.
“I’ve never met one player in college football that’s like: ‘They can’t use my name and likeness! I need to be paid!’ They’re just thrilled to be on the game. They love being on the game. It’s like the biggest highlight of their life, is to be on the game.”
“Every single college football player,” he said in an interview with SEC Country, “You know what they’d love for their compensation to be? Just give ‘em a free game. That’s the compensation that they would take.”