The current and former athletes in the Ed O'Bannon suit against the NCAA picked up arguably their most notable supporter Wednesday, as Texas head coach Mack Brown voiced his opinion that players should be paid. The quote comes from ESPN's Darren Rovell:
Texas coach Mack Brown: "I do think players need to be paid. These players are killing themselves & at Texas last year we made $163M."
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) July 24, 2013
Brown joins South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez, and Maryland coach Randy Edsall among coaches who have stated support for either the O'Bannon case or players getting paid.
On the other side of the aisle, Brown's conference rival, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. Brown and Stoops had previously agreed on one of Stoops' many controversial statements this summer, that the Big 12 was on par with the SEC.
The 61-year-old is the second highest-paid coach in college football, earning $5.35 million per season, and as he notes, the players whose performances allow for his contract to exist receive nothing besides a scholarship.
With six active players now involved in the O'Bannon suit, the tide seems to be turning against the NCAA, as indicated by the increasingly alarmed language the organization is using.
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