Michigan's Khalid Hill, ESPN's Jay Bilas unhappy with Jim Delany's major payday
The argument that student-athletes shouldn’t be paid is getting weaker and weaker. The report that Jim Delany will earn $20 million in future bonus payments is the most recent proof that there’s plenty of money to go around in college athletics.
While Delany is swimming in a pile of cash, Scrooge McDuck style, his multi-million dollar bonus has been under scrutiny in the social media world. And two notable names voicing their disapproval were Michigan fullback Khalid Hill and ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas.
Both took to Twitter on Saturday, questioning why the B1G commissioner is receiving a massive payday while players are walking around empty-handed – at least in terms of cash.
Bilas fired off a flurry of tweets criticizing Delany’s big bonus:
What about non-revenue sports? Where will the money come from? No school makes money! Blah, blah, blah. https://t.co/LbA9o66g85
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) May 13, 2017
"The value is in the schools, in the names on the front of the jerseys." Blah, blah, blah. https://t.co/k7QmJXm96h
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) May 13, 2017
"We don't want college sports to be the minor leagues." Makes billions, pay an exec $20M? That's MAJOR LEAGUE. https://t.co/VEIRgwdh6c
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) May 13, 2017
Bilas, a well-known advocate for student-athletes receiving some sort of compensation for their time commitment to their selected sport, has been harping on this issue for years. And when Khalid Hill saw that the ESPN personality was firing shots, he decided to voice his opinion, as well.
Hill responded with this tweet, shortly after Bilas’ blast:
And I'm over broke and the big ten commissioner making money off who ? 🤔 https://t.co/tgawfkdJqu
— Khalid Hill (@Thatboylid80) May 13, 2017
Delany’s $20 million bonus comes shortly after Alabama head coach Nick Saban received a three-year contract extension that will net him $11.125 million this year and $65 million over the next eight years, becoming the highest paid coach in college athletics.
Many believe that Saban’s massive contract could trigger an arms race for college football coaches.
As millions of dollars continues to line the pockets of conference commissioners, coaches and others associated with college athletics, the effort to keep players out of the loop is going to become harder to defend. Especially when the student-athletes have to put so much time and effort into the sport.
That’s the point Bilas and Hill wanted to get across.