An LSU athletic administrator predicted there was a “90 percent chance” that a judge would rule in favor of former student-athletes in a case that could result in schools sharing revenue with players.
The federal lawsuit against the NCAA was brought by former college athletes seeking back pay for players’ name, image and likeness (NIL) assessments between 2018 and 2020. The plaintiffs’ attorneys believe that the compensation is worth between $200 million and $1 billion. Front Office Sports Reported.
If the judge were to side with the former athletes, schools would likely turn to revenue sharing, which could happen in the next few years, Taylor Jacobs, LSU’s associate athletic director for NIL and strategic initiatives, said Monday , at the Baton Rouge Press Club.
Jacobs said such a change could mean a reduction in staff or the number of teams at a college.
“As a former women’s tennis player, it hurts my heart a little bit because I feel like we’re going to see a loss of the sport,” Jacobs said. “You’re going to see smaller colleges not being able to maintain that model. »
The LSU athletic department is currently discussing how to handle that possibility, Jacobs said. Much of the conversation centered on whether and how the university can avoid recruiting athletes.
The other big topic is where to cut costs if revenue sharing becomes a reality.
“Does this come from employee salaries? Jacobs said. “Are we going to create much smaller teams within the athletic department? Where are we going to reduce what we offer to student-athletes?
LSU already spends an average of $150,000 per athlete per year, Jacobs said, between tuition, room and board, health care, equipment and travel.
“Obviously coaches’ contracts come into play when you have that conversation,” Jacobs said.
LSU’s head coaches are among the highest paid in their various sports and the highest paid state employees, although the bulk of their salaries are paid by the Tiger Athletic Foundation, a tax-exempt organization that supplements the sports expenses. Football coach Brian Kelly earns around $9.5 million per year. Women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey earns $3.15 million, making her the highest-paid women’s basketball coach.
Jacobs said NIL is a game-changer in other ways, including recruiting.
Although NCAA rules prohibit NIL agreements from being used as an incentive to attend a particular school, that doesn’t mean coaches can’t discuss them with recruits.
“They all feel like they have to engage in this NIL game to keep up with recruiting and that’s been really difficult to deal with,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said coaches can let prospective players know what opportunities are available if they come to LSU. Coaches are usually aware of the recruit’s NIL rating based on their social media following, which can be used when talking to recruits.
Jacobs said she has heard of NIL recruiting violations being transferred to the NCAA, but whether or not that can be proven is another question. She added that it is similar to any other recruiting violation.
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