The Chronicle of Higher Education has analyzed the pay packages of more than 4,000 employees of several hundred private colleges and found that USC coach Pete Carroll is the single highest-paid private college employee in the country.According to the Chronicle, Carroll received $4,415,714 in 2007. That's actually lower than other estimates I've seen; the Chronicle might not have included deferred compensation, endorsements, or other compensation.
Whatever Carroll's exact take was, these kinds of studies always result in some hand-wringing about whether coaches get paid too much. The Chronicle study focused on private schools, but the issues are similar to those raised by the journalist/activist who questioned UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun about his status as the state of Connecticut's highest-paid employee. But for all the hand-wringing, no one is ever sure whether these coaches should be paid like educators or like pro coaches.
Is it utterly ridiculous that Carroll is making millions of dollars a year for coaching "amateur" athletes at a tax-exempt, non-profit institution? Of course it is. Is it perfectly reasonable that Carroll is making millions of dollars a year for running a football team that routinely sells out a 90,000-seat stadium and draws tens of millions of TV viewers for its games? Of course it is.
And there you have it. I vote for paying coaches like professionals, and I also vote for the IRS revoking the tax-exempt status of the NCAA and the schools that run big-time sports programs. Somehow I think only one of those things is going to happen.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
It doesnt surprise me is the least that Pete is extremely well paid. He runs the most corrupt program in America, just ask Reggie, and why the NCAA ignores that fact is beyond me.
Greg, why would you call USC the most corrupt program in the country? Who else besides what Reggie Bush is being questioned about has been corrupted or brought same to the program since Pete Carroll has been there?
USC is far from the most corrupt. I'm not saying they're squeaky clean, but the SEC and Big 12 have at least five shadier programs. I'm a Florida Gator fan but I'm not claiming they are squeaky clean, either (but they probably are). :)
Hey, Greg, how do you mean corrupt? Like the SEC? The old Southwest Conference? The current Big 12? The truth is, Greg, USC doesn't have to do a whole bunch of extra things to get kids to come. It's Los Angeles. Ever see the sidelines at a practice? A lot of the programs in other places have to fight to get kids to come. Most kids would jump through hoops to get into the program. And speaking of Reggie Bush, do you really think Pete Carroll would be pushing an ex-con drug dealer to be Reggie Bush's agent? Don't you think if Pete or USC had anything do with it, they could do a little better than that? Get serious. And who knows if Reggie did something wrong or not, but everyone does know this: Bush told the would-be agent to take a hike - something that you wouldn't do if you had dealing with the agent, unless you were really stupid. Maybe Reggie is stupid, but he sure doesn't seem it. Lastly, Many people call the NFL rule against student athletes talking to agents, the Pete Carroll rule. Why? Because he's the one who pushed it. He's the one who's spent his entire career counseling kids not to talk to agents until it's time.
Hey fellows, when a university (USC) signs 25 of the 30 five star high school football players out of California in the last 5 years, something really stinks and it aint the peanut butter.