The state legislature could soon make university pay for student athletes a confidential record.
Compensation for public university employees in North Carolina is a public record, from football coaches to professors and security guards.
But legislation introduced in the House on Wednesday would exempt payments to athletes from public records law. Supporters of the measure say the confidentiality is needed because UNC System schools compete with bigger universities for the best athletes. They say disclosing their pay could put them at a disadvantage.
"Obviously our schools have a lot of money when it comes to college sports, but whenever a Big Ten or SEC school comes in, there's no way we can compete with them in terms of finances," said Rep. Wyatt Gable, R-Onslow and a sponsor of the bill. "It's protecting our universities, because other schools are not able to see what they're getting and spending. So say we're giving $100,000 to an athlete — that's pocket change to Texas or Tennessee or something of that nature — so they just come in and offer $300,000. This way they have no way of knowing."
NCAA rules now allow universities to share sports revenue directly with student athletes, and some of them are reportedly receiving millions. It's a shift from the previous "name, image and likeness" regulations where athletes were allowed to arrange sponsorship deals with businesses looking to use their endorsements in advertising.
The N.C. Press Association lobbyist John Bussian says his group, which represents the state's newspapers and other media outlets, opposes the change (WUNC News is not a member of the group).
"It could be soon that the highest paid people on the campuses, public universities and otherwise, are going to be student athletes," Bussian told lawmakers. "It is a sea change in the public's right to know about something this important."
The bill passed its first committee on Wednesday and now heads to the House Rules Committee. Another provision of the bill would expand public universities' ability to sell alcohol, allowing sales at "satellite areas" of campus that are outside the stadium or arena area before and after events.
Gable said that change was requested by UNC-Chapel Hill. The university has been holding football pregame festivities at Polk Place, which is not directly adjacent to Kenan Stadium.
Another bill that passed the House Universities Committee on Wednesday would authorize major construction projects across UNC System campuses, including:
- $295 million for the Cates West development project at N.C. State University, a new complex of student housing and dining facilities
- $141 million for a new residence hall at UNC-Chapel Hill
- $112 million to demolish and replace Parker and Teague dormitories at UNC-Chapel Hill
- $20 million to renovate the Richmond dormitory at N.C. Central
