Earlier Wednesday, SEC commissioner Mike Slive caused a bit of a stir across the collegiate landscape by suggesting sweeping changes to intercollegiate athletics that he labeled as a “national agenda for change”.
For at least one coach, one part of Slive’s four-pronged initiative is not sitting well.
Slive proposed getting rid of the renewable one-year scholarships currently in place and replacing them with binding multi-year scholarships. Of course, such a move would make roster massaging/manipulation much more difficult.
And, of course, South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier is not on board with the commissioner on this point.
“No, that’s a terrible idea commissioner,” Spurrier said as those in attendance roared with laughter, before flipping the script on the scribes. “Do you sports writers have a two-year contract, how many of y’all have two-year contracts, three-year, four-year? So if you go bad and don’t show up to work, your butt would be out on the street, right? So, everybody has to earn their way in life, ya earn your way from life. You go from there. That’s the way I believe.”
Of course, coaches are blessed with multi-year contracts that allow for a financial parachute should they not “show up for work” the winning way their bosses prefer and their butts are put out on the street, a fact Spurrier made sure to mention. And make light of.
“Luckily, coaches have four- or five-year contracts and they get paid off, they get paid off if they get canned,” Spurrier said before reiterating his disagreement with Slive on getting rid of renewable scholarships.
“Nah, I don’t think that’s a good idea. The commissioner and I agree on a lot of things, but not that one there.”
Spurrier is certainly entitled to his opinion, but, as the conference presidents and chancellors showed when it came to the oversigning issue, they take the opinion of their coaches with a grain of salt. And very lightly in some instances.
On topics other than the scholarship front, Spurrier said that suspended (presumptive) starting quarterback Stephen Garcia has “done everything we’ve asked, he’s certainly behaved... in all likelihood he’ll be set to return” for the start of summer camp. When he returns, however, he won’t be handed his starting job back; Spurrier reiterated that there will be an open competition between the senior and Connor Shaw.