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CHICAGO – When the House settlement took effect last year, schools could directly share revenue with athletes with a cap in place. That limit doesn’t include third-party NIL deals, though, and roster costs continue to increase in college football.
Speaking Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days, USC coach Lincoln Riley spoke in favor of a “true salary cap” in college sports. While he said the landscape is beginning to stabilize a bit, that would make things even better.
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Riley noted the discussions around the state of college sports as the NIL era continues to evolve. He doesn’t see the craziness being as much of an issue as others on the outside, though. Instead, he argued things are getting better, though he said a salary cap would further help.
“I’ve always been one, like, I don’t want to have less than somebody has,” Riley told reporters at the Hilton Chicago. “But I don’t necessarily have to have more. I just don’t want to be at some massive, massive disadvantage, if you’re trying to win a championship. I will say this, despite the perception outside, it has normalized a lot in the last few years.
“Now, let’s not confuse that with being ‘normal.’ But it has normalized. There is a lot more structure and there is a lot more process and there’s not so much crazy stuff going on. There’s still some, but it ain’t like – a couple years ago, people would say, everybody wants to use the term ‘Wild West.’ A couple years ago, it was. Legit. Now, it has steadied. A true salary cap would steady it even more.”
Lincoln Riley: ‘A lot to figure out’ for salary cap to happen
Lawsuits are a big reason why there’s uncertainty around rules enforcement in college sports. The NCAA is facing multiple challenges, particularly to its eligibility rules, while also working to ensure the Protect College Sports Act becomes law.
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Until there’s teeth to enforce rules, Lincoln Riley said there are obvious challenges to a salary cap. He stopped short of saying it’s not possible, but made clear there are hurdles to clear to make it a reality.
“They have to put something in there, obviously, that they can truly police,” Riley said. “That will hold up in every other state court and this and that. And that’s the problem right now. It’s good in theory, but it doesn’t hold up against anything, and you understand why. That’s the whole key is the model they put around it. How can they enforce it and how is it not just torn down by a lawsuit or this district court or this state judge or whoever the case may be.
“If they can do that, I mean, the NFL has no problem with it. Obviously, they’ve got some other advantages in terms of collective bargaining, all that stuff with it. But the challenge is all these football programs being tied to universities … and then how does all that work together? That’s the big question. Can it happen? I don’t want to say it can’t, but there’s a lot to figure out for it to happen.”
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