A June conversation between a sportswriter and a sports fan went something like this:

Fan: Are you going to be on the radio with John and Jimmy today?

Sportswriter: No, the News Sentinel now has its own radio show from 10 to 12 a.m. Monday through Friday on The Sports Animal. It's called The Sports Page.

Fan: Oh, I didn't know that.

The conversation occurred more than a month ago, so hopefully more readers and sports fans have become aware of the show, which airs from 10 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday on WNML-AM 990/FM 99.1.

Since it's a New Sentinel show and since the News Sentinel is a daily newspaper, you're probably wondering why I haven't been promoting the show in my column.

My editors don't think that's appropriate and neither do I. We might mention the show in advertisements, but not as part of our editorial content.

For example, you might have noticed in the second paragraph I referred to a radio show featuring Jimmy and John. If this were an advertisement, it would have included their full names, the name of their show and the time it airs. But we just don't cross that line between advertising and editorial content, even if it works to the detriment of our show, which airs from 10 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday on The Sports Animal and is hosted by News Sentinel sportswriter Dave Hooker.

The show also includes me and a bunch of other guys from our sports staff. If this were an advertisement, I would give the full names of the staff writers who appear on the show.

But that's just not the way we do things.

In fact, the only reason I'm mentioning sports radio is as a lead-in to my commentary on the recent sports tragedy at the University of Oklahoma. Sooners coach Bob Stoops kicked star quarterback Rhett Bomar and another player off the team because the players violated NCAA rules.

Bomar filed for a 40-hour work week and made up to $18,000 at a Norman, Okla., auto dealership, although he only worked five hours a week. Now, the Sooners, who were expected to contend for a national championship, are in big trouble.

The problem could have been avoided so easily. Why risk having your players work at a car dealership when they could make thousands of dollars working for a radio station?

This isn't only about Oklahoma. It's about any so-called football powerhouse that wants to make sure its players live like celebrities but don't run afoul of the NCAA.

All you have to do is have some of your boosters buy a small radio station and create an all-football-talk format. You man the 24-hour station with nothing but football players and pay them whatever you feel is appropriate. Injured or redshirt players can man the microphones during practice hours.

At a school like Oklahoma, where the head coach makes well over $2 million a year, I'm sure boosters wouldn't mind doling out another $2 million to the athletes who talk football on radio and compete for a national championships on Saturdays.

You might be wondering, "But what if the players aren't qualified to do a radio talk show?"

Obviously, you don't know anything about talk radio. It's not brain surgery or even table tennis. Anyone can do talk radio. They might not do it particularly well but they can do it.

I have some more ideas about how to help student-athletes and football programs, but first I need to have a word with John Battle, one of our sports copy editors who's not afraid to do a little extra work for a few more bucks.

"Hey, John, here's $40 to read my column and make sure none of our other editors do. OK?"

He nodded "Yes," so I handed him $40.

That's just to make sure some nitpicky editor doesn't misunderstand the premise of my column and thinks I'm trying to promote our radio show, which airs from 10 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday on The Sports Animal.

Hello? That's just a lead-in to my column on improving the well-being of college football. It's a segue, not a promo.

Excuse me again. "What's that John?"

He said executive sports editor Steve Ahillen is on the line and wants to know the subject of my Monday column.

"Tell him it's a human-interest piece about summer jobs for student-athletes.

"Here's another $20."

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.