[PIC] Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany speaks out on scholarship policy
During an interview Tuesday with Dave Revsine, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany discussed the state of the conference’s scholarships with its student-athletes.
The Big Ten said it supports guaranteed four-year scholarships, which would eliminate any risk for the students on scholarship. Delany took it a step further to include what scholarships could cover.
“We need to change the definition of the scholarship from room/board fees and tuition to the total cost of education, which is a federal definition that institutions put a dollar figure around,” Delany said.
His focus is trying to find a balance between athletics and academics for Big Ten student-athletes. But Delany did put more emphasis on education.
“We think that the academic experience and the interest of pursuing a degree should carry more weight than the athletic experience,” he said.
Still, with such a focus on athletics, Delany discussed the notion of “pay-for-play,” which has circulated collegiate discussions the past few years.
Delany said he wants to increase what the conference does to help its student-athletes with as far as paying for their educations, but does not want to pay for their performance in their sports.
He did address his role in making money for the conference through the players who don’t get paid.
“I sell television rights, I do bowl deals — for what reason?” Delany said. “To develop resources for educational opportunities for the 9,000 plus, men and women who are pursuing degrees, full-time students, and playing intercollegiate athletics in the Big Ten.”
Delany doesn’t expect anything to happen this year, though.
“My guess is that is a three-to-five year process of litigation,” he said.
