From Ed Aschoff at ESPN's SEC Blog:
When Florida wide receiver Deonte Thompson was recently approached with the question of college athletes being allowed to sell their game-worn jerseys or championship rings, he hesitated for a few seconds before reeling off a string of "I don't know" responses as he shook his head.
Joke The First: Deonte Thompson likely realized he would never be able to sell game-worn attire or rings because he would fumble the exchange.
Joke The Second: DOESN'T DEONTE THOMPSON NEED TO WIN SOMETHING BEFORE HE HAS THINGS TO SELL 34-7 GO FSU!?
Serious take: were I a college athlete, working at my sport for stipend checks and risking debilitating injury every week, I don't know if I would sell memorabilia. It might depend on whether I felt like I could do it without getting caught; it might depend on how special the memorabilia was to be. Ultimately, I really don't know how I would handle that situation.
So I don't blame Thompson — who was part of the Florida Gators team that won the 2008 BCS National Championship, and, thus, has some baubles that might be worth money — for not knowing, and saying as much. That uncertainty is one of the many problems with gray areas like this in the NCAA's world of amateurism.