LINCOLN - In December 1983, Ernie Chambers faced off against Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler on Phil Donahue’s TV show. The issue: Should college athletes be paid?

At one point, the conversation got so heated — and the studio audience so animated — that Donahue told the Nebraska lawmaker: “You’re going to need an escort to get out of here.”

Now, 36 years later, the state senator finally sees the NCAA inching toward dramatic reform after passage of a California law permitting athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness.

“I like any plan that makes it possible for athletes to gain something,” Chambers said.

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