I've been stating for a long time that college sports is a cesspool filled with crooked agents, greedy coaches, a morally bankrupt NCAA, college presidents and athletic directors lacking moral compasses and players on the search for a pay day. I'm a hypocrite as much as the next guy, because this doesn't mean I don't get an erection hearing Keith Jackson on the call or watching the camera pan USC's cheerleaders - - I do.
I'll excuse the players, or as the NCAA deigns to refer to them as student-athletes, but college administrators are running an educational institution supposedly held to higher ethical and moral standards. Yeah, we all know that's a crock, but you have to read the great article in today's Newark Star-Ledger by Josh Margolin and Ted Sherman.
The lead paragraphs of the article:
Last year Rutgers University football coach Greg Schiano shook hands on a lucrative contract extension that made him one of the highest-paid collegiate coaches in the nation. But that was only a piece of the deal.
Five months after agreeing to terms that will pay him as much as $2 million annually, Schiano signed a side agreement, providing an additional $250,000 a year through indirect payments that were never publicly disclosed, according to records obtained by The Star-Ledger.
In the addendum to his contract, dated July 2, 2007, Rutgers arranged for Nelligan Sports Marketing, the university's exclusive marketing agent, to pay the coach the additional $250,000 -- keeping the payments off the school's payroll.
For the full read: Star Ledger
The part of Schiano's deal I really like is his "loan" from Rutgers to build a house. The guy gets paid over two million clams a year and needs a loan? Oh, don't worry, if Schiano stays at Rutgers for the next eight years the full loan of $800.000. will be forgiven. I was worried Schiano was going to have to sign up for WIC to feed his family.I understand Rutgers wants to compete with the big boys, and a competitive football team has raised awareness about Rutgers, but when does the madness stop? How about a security detail for Schiano and his family?
Frankly, I'm sick of college football coaches being anointed the king of the college campus. Are Nick Saban, Rich Rodriguez and Greg Schiano the second coming? When Rodriguez left West Virginia, he destroyed documents relating to the team. When did college football become a Tom Clancy novel? Please don't tell me I am naive - the world of college sports has become completely distorted. I realize the NCAA always has been a cesspool, but now the stakes are even higher.
The real issue is why did Rutgers feel the need to hide part of Schiano's deal? A college should be beyond reproach and Rutgers A.D. Robert Mulcahy needs to acknowledge that. Mulcahy may feel he did the right thing, but his actions suggest something different.
