Gene Smith, Ohio State AD, against student athletes as ’employees’

Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith announced Wednesday that he will be retiring on June 30, 2024 and that this upcoming season will be his last.

He also addressed reporters about the current state of college athletics and had some pretty interesting comments to make. Among those, Smith insisted that he is against student athletes as “employees,” a reality granted by NIL.

Smith wanted to emphasize that he is not against paying student athletes, but that he’d rather it be education-tethered rather than simply giving athletes a paycheck.

Gene Smith: “I do not believe that student-athletes should be employees. That’s a whole new relationship.” Smith is in favor of giving more money to college athletes, but he thinks that money should be tethered to education rather than giving athletes a paycheck.

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) August 9, 2023

Smith has been one of the most successful ADs in college sports since taking the Ohio State job in 2005. His teams have combined to win 32 championships and 117 individual championships during his time at the helm of the program.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.