Spurrier wants players paid $3,500 to $4 K a year
South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier is again bringing up his idea to increase the stipend for college players.
"We're trying to get extra money for living expense, academic expense, game-related expense to our players because of the tremendous amount of money -- billions -- they're bringing (in)," Spurrier told reporters Wednesday at the SEC spring meetings.
Spurrier said he proposed increasing the amount from the current $2,000 to "approximately $3,500 to $4,000" a year to cover most college expenses for football players and other athletes in revenue-producing sports, such as men's basketball.
"We as coaches believe they're entitled to a little more than room, books, board and tuition," Spurrier told reporters. "Again, we as coaches would be willing to pay it if they were to approve it to where our guys could get approximately get three-, four-thousand bucks a year. It wouldn't be that much, but enough to allow them to live like normal student-athletes. We think they need more and deserve more. It's as simple as that."
Spurrier's proposal would be difficult to implement, including Title IX implications and the fact that not every school nationally would be able to pay the same amount. In addition, football and basketball couldn't be the only paying sports. A national play for all collegiate sports would have to be implemented.
