Steve Spurrier proposes that coaches pay players out of their own pockets
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier believes coaches should be able to pay 70 players $300 per game out of their own pockets.
DESTIN, FLA. – South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier emerged from Wednesday afternoon’s meetings with SEC athletic directors and fellow football coaches with a crinkled piece of paper in his hand. And with a raspy, Godfather-like voice — he has been hoarse the past two days — he proceeded to tell media gathered here to cover the SEC meetings that he wants to be able to pay his players out of his own pocket.
“I presented a proposal that we give our football players $300 a game for game expense,” Spurrier told reporters in one of the lobbies in the Sandestin Hilton Beach Resor. “They can give it to their parents for travel, lodging, meals. Maybe they could take their girlfriend out Sunday night or Saturday night and so forth.”
For a fleeting moment it wasn’t clear if Spurrier was joking or being serious. Then he raised the piece of a paper from which he made his proposal. At the bottom were dotted lines with the names of the SEC football coaches underneath. Seven of them included actual the coaches’ signatures. Asked who they were, Spurrier read them off.
“The guys that were willing were [Will] Muschamp, Derek Dooley, [Nick] Saban, Les Miles, Houston Nutt, Dan Mullen and myself,” Spurrier said.
“A bunch of our coaches felt so strongly about it that we’d be willing to pay,” he said. “Seventy guys, 300 bucks a game. That’s only $21,000 bucks a game. I doubt it will get passed. But as coaches, we make all the money, as do universities and television, and we need to give more to our players. That was just something we need to get out there.”
Conspicuously absent from the list was Georgia’s own Mark Richt. I asked him about it as he checked out of the hotel to make his way back to Athens.
“The spirit of wanting to get more financial help for our players is unanimous,” Richt said. “But how to go about it, I’m saying that wouldn’t necessarily be the best way to do it. I didn’t sign it because I didn’t want to say that’s how I felt was the best way to get it done.
“In no way shape or form was I saying I didn’t want to help student-athletes. I 100 percent do. Every single coach in that room wants to do that. We all believe that. But how do you do it without hurting amateurism” How do you do it without tax implications? Maybe it’s through the scholarship becoming more valuable.”
Richt’s sentiments more closely matched those of SEC athletic directors, who generally didn’t take Spurrier’s proposal seriously.
“I don’t think you’re going to see anybody give a stipend to an individual,” Florida AD Jeremy Foley said. “I think this cost of attendance conversation is going to continue and I think that will probably gain some momentum. . . . Coach Spurrier’s desire is part of that conversation. You just couldn’t do it ikndividually in one sport. It will be national legislation.”
The SEC and other BCS conferences are getting behind legislation that would elevate the value of scholarship for student-athletes from just room, board, books, meals and lodging to full cost of living.
Spurrier is realistic in his expectations. More than anything, it seemed like he just wanted to make a point.
“We all make so much money,” he said. “It’s only $300,000 for 14 games. For what us coaches are making nowadays, we’d all love to do that.”
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226 comments Add your comment
Marcus Dupree
June 1st, 2011
9:52 pm
$300 per game is way below what Trooper Taylor promised me.
Delbert D.
June 1st, 2011
9:53 pm
Here are some calculations:
http://www.ncaa.org/blog/2011/05/what-full-cost-of-attendance-really-means/
Bitter "ROUGE BOOSTER"
June 1st, 2011
9:55 pm
I have given more to all-burn playa’s after 2010 games than 300$ each——–go figure
——————-name of the game ————PAY FOR PLAY!!!!!!!!!SIGNED SCAM NEWTON
jim pierce
June 1st, 2011
9:56 pm
And just how would this be regulated? It couldn’t be.
jim pierce
June 1st, 2011
9:57 pm
Your aren’t very bright , are ya BOOSTER.
Big Bad Bob
June 1st, 2011
10:01 pm
Spurrier already pays his players. What is he talking about? He also only suspends them from spring practice. What punishment is that? Also, it apparently does not matter how many times you go against the rules, he keeps you on the team. I am sick and tired of hearing people rip Mark Richt a new one by saying he is too easy on his players. What in the heck do you think about Spurrier’s lack of discipline?
Dan
June 1st, 2011
10:02 pm
Punk arse football players get free school! F em!
Score Check
June 1st, 2011
10:04 pm
The problem isn’t 25 versus 28 scholarships.
The problem is coaches (Satan) who run off players with no hope of contributing in order to make room another group of prospects.
M-E-D-I-C-A-L H-A-R-D-S-H-I-P
hind tit
June 1st, 2011
10:04 pm
How much is he going to pay basketball players, softball, baseball,tennis, golf,track,gymnastics,soccer,lacrosse,archery,rifle,wrestling,rowing. Talk about opening a can of worms.
jim pierce
June 1st, 2011
10:05 pm
Mark Richt has more character and integrity than any coach in the game.
Bank of America
June 1st, 2011
10:06 pm
I don’t claim to know the proper solution but I think it’s fair to say that an entity (major NCAA college football) that generates billions of dollars should by no means consider itself “amateur”.
Bitter "ROUGE BOOSTER"
June 1st, 2011
10:11 pm
jin pierce—go back to your check out counter at the wal mart close to toomers corner—jack a
———–every body cheats———-checked the latest news ——-the ohio state—–read fool
Delbert D.
June 1st, 2011
10:12 pm
Don’t the arguments about sacrifice, long hours, etc. apply to non-scholarship players as well?
Bitter "ROUGE BOOSTER"
June 1st, 2011
10:13 pm
callbert d—-be real———-who shows up for class at the ohio st and all-burn
————-they just drive nice cars and well————–more nice cars———-hahahah-looser
AltamahaDawg
June 1st, 2011
10:16 pm
“Maybe they could take their girlfriend out Sunday night or Saturday night and so forth.”
He actually said that in the meeting? How on earth did that actually advance the conversation. Was his purpose to make sure the player never got the full cost of attendance raise? You know damn well those two goofy faced newbies were sitting in the back of the room thinking “crap I just signed that thing because he told me too”
Bitter "ROUGE BOOSTER"
June 1st, 2011
10:22 pm
altammydawg——-chief steve spur——put it for all simple minds to understand———then there,s
your pure breed mind————–he is trying to draw attention away from —–the ohio st/allburn U
———-they have allready implemented————-PAY FOR PLAY
Clay
June 1st, 2011
10:22 pm
I might feel like they need to be paid if every college football player I’ve seen wasn’t walking around with about 4 carats of diamond earrings and driving new sports cars.
Joe Bob Thibodaux
June 1st, 2011
10:25 pm
Hey, I know, why not let them sell their Independence Bowl Jersey?
Just kiddin Georgia, but really, what is the difference?
JBT
AltamahaDawg
June 1st, 2011
10:28 pm
The manager from the Whitney hotel called and said “make it 450″.
Huh
June 1st, 2011
10:31 pm
Just have a day before or after the season where players can legally sign autographs and make money rub by the ncaa. That’s capitalism. If you aren’t good enough to get anyone to pay, get better. That’s how the world runs.
stupid
June 1st, 2011
10:32 pm
why not just pay them the minimum wage x 20 hrs a week (the cut off for part time labor). then they can make a couple hundred a week for doing what they are getting benefits for doing anyway. The rest of us who made it on HOPE or any other circumstance pretty much did the same thing. Found a job paying X and worked as many hours a week as we could. sounds fair to me.
warlikecap83
June 1st, 2011
11:00 pm
I paid $32.67 for a XBOX 360 and my mom got a 17 inch Toshiba laptop for $94.83 being delivered to our house tomorrow by FedEX. I will never again pay expensive retail prices at stores. I even sold a 46 inch HDTV to my boss for $650 and it only cost me $52.78 to get. Here is the website we using to get all this stuff, http://GoGetBids.com
Delbert D.
June 1st, 2011
11:01 pm
@10:06 pm – “..I think it’s fair to say that an entity (major NCAA college football) that generates billions of dollars should by no means consider itself “amateur”.”
Check this out for how the EUFA manages “haves and have nots” in European professional soccer as a potential example for major college football.
http://www.ncaa.org/blog/2011/05/financial-fair-play-works-only-in-a-different-division-i/
dinkdunk
June 1st, 2011
11:08 pm
yeah, great idea.. Until next year, then it’s $500, then $1000 a year after that, pretty soon you’re talking serious money.
Then the wrestlin’ team wants some, girls basketball, cheerleaders should get a little sumthin.’
Pretty soon the whole thing will look like downtown ATL nothing moves til’ you get that check..
Bad idea.
Dawg Whisperer
June 1st, 2011
11:21 pm
Once payola becomes a part of the equation, it’s a slippery slope from there. Unforeseen as well as foreseen issues will be the result and it will not cure the problem of improper payments, etc.
Does anyone really think that a few hundred dollars per game is the panacea for resolving what ails the NCAA on keeping the student-athlete an amateur? It will never be enough and players will see themselves as individuals competing for individual reward instead of sacrificing as a team. This is poor foresight and does not account for all the adverse ramifications associated with pay for play. As fans, we should expect these athletes to be students first, not athletes (I know, I’m in the minority on that one). Maybe, the NFL needs to fund a minor league. When’s the last time you heard a baseball player receiving improper payments or gifts?
KD
June 1st, 2011
11:28 pm
If it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it. I am an avid football fan and I am looking forward to the upcoming college football season (no lock there). I am afraid that if college players start receiving pay, then it will lead to other headaches ie, college presidents locking out the college players (smile). I think a good education, the best medical attention, great food, and sly booster hand shakes are enough…at least it would be for me.
beanster
June 1st, 2011
11:36 pm
Way to go Coach Richt. Yet another class act. There is indeed a way to go about it, but the SEC convention isn’t the place for that type of grandstand action. The SEC does NOT speak for the rest of the NCAA, or for college athletics in general. Shame on the coaches who signed on that agreement. The SEC may be minor league football, but it is awful arrogant to suggest it should be the SEC who changes the definition of amateur athletics. Spurrier, arrogant? Who knew?
tom
June 1st, 2011
11:41 pm
If only 100,000 fans would pay 40 bucks each to come watch a Math major take an exam.
S GA AU FAN
June 1st, 2011
11:48 pm
Don’t forget the kids in the band!
beanster
June 1st, 2011
11:52 pm
Man is it getting harder to hold back the disdain for Ol’ Coach Muschamp and the former AD’s son.
Joe
June 2nd, 2011
12:13 am
Publicity stunt. He knows that it will never go through. Just trying to score points with future recruits.
bigdawg88
June 2nd, 2011
12:15 am
dinkdunk I agree with you. It would only be a matter of time before they start getting NFL money their freshman year, then of course the high school players will want to be paid, etc.
As others said, you get a full ride, plus room and board, plus FREE tutoring! If your parents can’t afford to kick in a few bucks a week for incidentals, how the heck were they able to afford it when they were at home? Have you seen the size of some of these guys? Parents ought to be saving a mortgage on the food bills alone! Sorry fellas, get your FREE education and get a job, either in the NFL or at a “regular” job and be thankful for the opportunity. For every one of you there are another hundred kids at a DIV 2/3 school who would be happy to have a full ride without pay!
If you pay them, why bother with college football at all? Just start a minor league NFL.
Carlton
June 2nd, 2011
12:15 am
Wow-Spurrier’s talking about paying players? How much is he paying to keep Stephen Garcia around after running in the law 5 TIMES?
It will never work. If school’s start paying players, the top schools (or head coaches who make the most) will get the best recruits because they know they’re going to go to a school where they can get paid the most (who wouldn’t want to be under Mack Brown’s payroll??) Sorry Spurrier, wrong again.
murfdawg
June 2nd, 2011
12:18 am
maybe SOS will lead the movement for the top 25 teams to secede from the NCAA. Unlimited scholarships, pay the players and a playoff. This is what the American capitalism dream is all about.
Carlton
June 2nd, 2011
12:18 am
Problem solved? Let players collect on the memorabilia (such as jerseys, photos of players, signed autographs by players, etc) that they own. If AJ Green collected on every #8 jersey UGA sold, he would be a happy “student-athlete”
RED DOG 77
June 2nd, 2011
12:19 am
No question Steve Spurrier is using this issue to bolster his recruiting. Granted most kids who play college ball not only have very little money to spend, most come from a very poor background. There will come a time when kids will need to finally get a little spending money from the universities that they play for…………but it has to be discussed in depth in order to not be overwhelmed by unintended consequenses………..That said, while coach Richt is sympathetic with the players delima, his is the most mature and measured response to the issue…..And that my freinds is what Me thinks………….Regards, RED
beanster
June 2nd, 2011
12:19 am
Makes a lot of sense, Carlton. However, shouldn’t that idea best be introduced by our good friend Mike Adams? Or perhaps, in likeness of Senator Hatch, Senator Isakson or Chambliss? Seems a bit rich for a rookie and 2nd year football coach, IMO.
Tell the truth
June 2nd, 2011
12:20 am
And for the other men’s teams and all women’s teams?? And for the poorer conferences other than the SEC and Big Ten??? Will never happen!!!
Tell the truth
June 2nd, 2011
12:23 am
Do the university presidents have any ethics at all?? Do they have anything to add about the cheating going on and ways to combat it?? Are they all scared of the HBC like Gee???
bigdawg88
June 2nd, 2011
12:24 am
Carlton,
The problem with that is that unscrupulous boosters will start paying $10k per jersey, “because they love their school so much.” Next thing you know there will be huge bidding wars and the schools with the richest alumni will somehow get all the best recruits.
The real reason you can’t provide any benefits to the players (other than a free college education) is that there are too many snakes out there waiting to take full advantage of any loophole. So the NCAA is forced to seal the whole thing up like the ark of the covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Carlton
June 2nd, 2011
12:31 am
I agree with y’all, but if you let the “student athlete” collect say, 25% on every jersey, 10% on every photo sold, etc then there could be a fair collection across the board. Yes, the offensive linemen and women basketball players, etc wouldn’t collect the same as say, AJ Green, Reggie Bush, etc, but these athletes are also the ones generating the major revenue. Maybe the school’s could even re-distribute money to programs (such as women’s basketball, softball, etc) that don’t make as much money on a regular basis and pay those players a 10% stipend of the money generated by say football or basketball. Or would that make too much sense?
dawg150
June 2nd, 2011
12:37 am
Jerome…..go back and read the damn article you putz……Richt never said anything about not wanting to help the players financially. He just wasnt willing to put his name on a rough draft of a proposal. Comprehend before shooting your mouth off!!!!!
dawg150
June 2nd, 2011
12:48 am
What ever happened to representing your university because……….its my university and I’m proud to be a representative of it……..kids today have no respect for the school that pas their way….all they’re lookig for is a free ride to the professional ranks. Here’s a plan: 1. freshmen ineligible for varsity 2. If your GPA drops below a certain level you are automatically ineligible 3. Leave for pros before your graduation year then you must reimburse university for balance of your scholarship. Abide by these simple regs and THEN we’ll talk about compensating the players.( who by the way are already compensated with a 4-5 year cost of education including room and board)
beanster
June 2nd, 2011
12:51 am
Oops. I forgot the Louisiana Institute of Technology where the former AD’s son first exhibited the Dooley football prowess, going 17-20.
tyger
June 2nd, 2011
1:06 am
The slaves are escaping, the slaves are escaping!!!!
WtfWruthnkn
June 2nd, 2011
1:36 am
Hit a single wtf do u know about their families?
WtfWruthnkn
June 2nd, 2011
1:39 am
Players put their life and health on the line every practice and game
Stinger2
June 2nd, 2011
4:37 am
Most of the comments here indicate that those responding are younger folks. The fact is that college players back in the 50`s and 60`s were given some cash as a part of their “grant-in-aid” scholarships. It was not a large sum and was given to cover some of the cost of personal expenses such as laundry, etc. Furman Bisher can verify this.
Student Athlete
June 2nd, 2011
4:50 am
D1 football generates billions annually; i suggest the NCAA remove the restrictions currently imposed on football and basketball athletes, notice i didn’t say “student athlete,” because these guys are not on campus for the academics, there sole purpose is to win games and generate revenue, education is a ruse in these two categories; the athlete is being used by the institution for one purpose, generate $$$$$$$.
Let these athletes negotiate for compensation like any other party participating in the $$$$$$$.
For those that think my idea would ruin college i got news for you; College football is far beyond ruined, its in the decay stage and has been for quite a while.
MJ
June 2nd, 2011
5:19 am
Coach Spurrier’s desire is part of that conversation. You just couldn’t do it ikndividually
Sandestin Hilton Beach Resor. “