'Bama Boosters Pay Off Saban's $3.1 Mil. Home
Per ESPN, the non-profit Crimson Tide Foundation paid the balance owed on Saban's home which is worth $3.1 million, in January 2013. Doesn't say exactly how much was owed that was paid. But that's a NON-profit foundation. That's a coach making $7 million per year.
The story says the foundation's mission "is to work with the UA athletic department 'by raising private funds and providing necessary resources to achieve success.' Those funds are distributed for everything from scholarships to coaching saaries to athletic-related construction projects."
I can only imagine how many Bag Men are members of this "foundation".
Anyone still think the players aren't being compensated?
Anyone still think the players shouldn't be compensated when the coach is getting these perks?
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11772033/alabama-crimson…
October 27th, 2014 at 7:47 PM ^
Oh, absolutely above-board. No doubt.
October 27th, 2014 at 7:47 PM ^
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October 27th, 2014 at 7:57 PM ^
That'd be really complicated to do player to player though. The thing I've supported for the last few years or so is just allowing the players to make money on their own on top of their scholardship. If they want to sign a few jerseys for a few hundred dollars a go, let them. If they want to get paid to attend functions or whatever, they can do that. As long as they fulfill their academic requirements and make it to all the things required for their teams, then they should be able to profit off of the work they've done.
October 27th, 2014 at 8:11 PM ^
why not make them pay off their scholarship with their signatures/promotions, etc.? Then everything above that they keep?
October 27th, 2014 at 8:36 PM ^
Interesting idea for sure. But it'd pretty much make it so only the big names could make any money (and they'd make a lot) and anyone who made less than their tuition wouldn't make anything (especially when in/out of state tuition schools are being considered). So essentially a few huge name players at major schools would make bank, while anyone who could bring in less than 20,000+ a year in autographs woudn't make anything.
Also if they did this, should they factor how much money they bring in for the school outside of their autographs? A starting player for Michigan football probably makes the school at least $100,000 over the course of their career.
Something somewhat related that I've always wondered: If a player pays their own way through school instead of taking a scholarship, are they allowed to profit off of their image?
October 27th, 2014 at 11:44 PM ^
I imagine that if this loophole were to exist, it would break the scholarship system. Bag men would bid on the 5-star athletes to come to their school as a walk-on, then pay them their education plus a healthy stipend. If they have the money to blow on Saban's house, they can spend $700K a year on 10 or so players' tuitions and salaries.
October 28th, 2014 at 10:25 AM ^
Well it doesn't so nothing to worry about here. If you get paid you lose amatuer status and if you lose that you can't compete in the NCAA. Its why Phelps couldn't swim for Michigan while he was here and it is the issue some european basketball players have when they come to the US because they have recieved pay in the past.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:14 PM ^
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October 27th, 2014 at 7:47 PM ^
But if a 'Bama booster were to pay a football player's bus fare...
In a country where CEO's make many hundreds of times what their employees make, this sounds about right.
October 27th, 2014 at 8:20 PM ^
Without a good leader teams, armies, businesses, and governments flounder like a fish on land.
Saturday was an excellent example of this. It provided for us the value of a good coach vis a vis a good player. For all his ability Funchess' has nowhere near the same impact as Hoke's on the team.
A player is much more replaceable than a coach.
October 27th, 2014 at 7:50 PM ^
Good for them I guess, but I can't imagine paying $3.1m for Saban's house was either necessary or the most productive thing to do with thier funds, even for an athletic booster club.
October 27th, 2014 at 7:52 PM ^
October 27th, 2014 at 7:53 PM ^
Seems legit to me.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:41 PM ^
Spot on! NCAA has let CFB turn into a f*cking country club while poor kids risk getting paralyzed for life with no compensation for med bills. Most hypocritical organization ever- "high values" my ass
October 27th, 2014 at 8:01 PM ^
October 27th, 2014 at 8:03 PM ^
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October 27th, 2014 at 8:10 PM ^
Picture?
October 27th, 2014 at 8:12 PM ^
Glad he doesn't have to worry about that mortgage anymore, big load off both our minds.
I wonder what 3.1 million gets you in Alabama...
October 28th, 2014 at 9:59 AM ^
October 27th, 2014 at 8:12 PM ^
October 27th, 2014 at 8:12 PM ^
A $3 million house down there? The Taj Mahal built for the Mogul emperor in memory of his incredible contribution to the University of Alabama School of Engineering. It is set in formal gardens, the domed building in white marble.
October 27th, 2014 at 8:16 PM ^
But does he have a golden toilet?
October 27th, 2014 at 8:14 PM ^
Things like this just highlight how the football culture in the South is on a completely different level. I could never imagine anything like that happening here, even if we were going 14-0 and winning multiple national championships. Quite frankly, I would be deeply disturbed if a group of boosters essentially gave millions of dollars to a Michigan coach on top of the millions he was receiving from the University just because he won a lot of football games (putting aside the fact that our current coach is a neanderthal). .
October 27th, 2014 at 8:27 PM ^
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October 27th, 2014 at 8:14 PM ^
The fact is he probably never has to spend a cent of his own money in the state of Alabama on anything.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:34 PM ^
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October 27th, 2014 at 8:16 PM ^
We should start a collection to get Hoke and Brandon houses in Alabama.
October 27th, 2014 at 8:17 PM ^
October 27th, 2014 at 8:20 PM ^
When was it a rule that coaches only got paid by their schools? Hoke gets paid by Michigan, Adidas, ESPN, probably another few places and has two cars provided free of charge from local dealerships.
October 27th, 2014 at 8:26 PM ^
October 27th, 2014 at 9:07 PM ^
Some small portion of Saban's salary is paid by the school. The rest is paid by the boosters.
And Alabama isn't the only school that does this. Before Saban was hired, when Alabama was wooing RR,WV's GOVERNOR worked the phones to raise the money to help keep RR at WV.
October 27th, 2014 at 9:54 PM ^
We have a booster paying his salary and another one paying Nussmeier's. It's not unusual. Auburn has basically had boosters making hiring decisions because they were paying the salaries.
October 27th, 2014 at 8:19 PM ^
As someone who has, in the span of about 18 hours, found out that he will indeed need a new car and possibly a new dishawasher (if indeed what I just finished did not work), I certainly wish I had that level of support from what seems to be totally legitimate organization. Totally legitimate. Well, OK, but they do at least ask for some verifiable ID.
October 27th, 2014 at 8:24 PM ^
This means he can sell the house outright without any outstanding debts on it. Would make a coaching move that much easier on him and his family. I'm not saying this definitely means he's coming to Michigan, but I think it's a very promising sign.
October 27th, 2014 at 8:29 PM ^
That should be enough.
October 27th, 2014 at 8:40 PM ^
Might want to spell "compensated" properly if your argument is that the athletes are receiving a great education.
Also, more generally, Nick Saban is being paid $7M a year. He's "set up for success for life" with that. But a couple of nice businessmen, out of the kindness in their hearts, just gave him a $3.1M gift because he needs that little bit of a leg up.
There are lots of reasons you can argue that college athletes shouldn't get paid (I don't agree with most of them, but that's a different issue), but a post about Nick Saban getting millions of dollars from a non-profit booster program isn't the best place to make that stand.
October 28th, 2014 at 8:30 AM ^
you might want to try to not sound like a douchebag.
I didn't get a scholarship so I never took a spelling class in college.
So what about some kid who has a engineering scholarship. He has so much homework and so many labs that he doesn't have time to get a job, should he be compensated also?
Some guy is goin to publish the work he helped with in a journal, which will advance the researcher's career who will get paid millions! OH THE INJUSTICE!
If they don't like it then go to the CFL out of HS.
October 28th, 2014 at 9:40 AM ^
I didn't get a scholarship so I never took a spelling class in college.I don't think colleges have spelling classes. That's one of those skills you're supposed to have coming in. Well at Michigan maybe, at OSU, Spelling 101 is probably a 4 credit hour course.
October 28th, 2014 at 2:01 PM ^
you ASSTARD!
go suck one!
October 27th, 2014 at 8:31 PM ^
October 27th, 2014 at 8:37 PM ^
Well, his "second" house in Georgia was on sale last year. Here's a link to it. And asking price was $11M (I know it's Georgia and not Alabama, but I can't imagine the prices are THAT different).
October 27th, 2014 at 8:59 PM ^
October 27th, 2014 at 10:24 PM ^
October 27th, 2014 at 8:37 PM ^
Any booster want to pay my rent for a year?
October 27th, 2014 at 8:38 PM ^
October 27th, 2014 at 8:44 PM ^
Because the state of Alabama is as bad as the city of Detroit? I don't get this argument. I'm sure there are crappy parts of Alabama and nice parts of Alabama (I'm guessing Saban lives in the latter). But there are other parts of Michigan, even a couple of miles outside the city proper, that are pretty nice and expensive.
And just for fun, the average cost of a home is Tuscaloosa, Alabama is a bit under $148k. Ann Arbor is a bit under $272k. I know we aren't dealing with averages, but that's still almost double the value.
October 27th, 2014 at 8:58 PM ^
October 27th, 2014 at 9:34 PM ^
Your original point was that Detroit is pretty crappy and that you found it ironic that people were taking shots at the value of Alabama property because some of them lived near the city. I pointed out an example of how the two college towns where UM and Alabama are located have different property values. I guess I didn't get your argument that "hey, you live near a crappy place so stop making fun of another place." I just thought it was a weird stance to take. My bad if I read it wrong.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:18 PM ^
That actually wasn't my point. I just thought it was ridiculous for so many to take potshots at Alabama when there is a target many would take shots at (unjustifiably) in their own backyard. Not to mention that when you actually look at WHY parts of Alabama is that way, it makes those comments look particularly insensitive.
October 27th, 2014 at 10:47 PM ^