A press release by Big Ten Communications on June 6 confirmed the agreement of the House settlement between the NCAA, Power Five conferences, and plaintiffs representing nearly 400,000 past and present student-athletes. Ever since, many have wondered how this landmark settlement will impact key Iowa athletic programs, such as football.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz took the opportunity of this year’s Big Ten Media Day, held in Las Vegas, to address questions about the settlement, as well as his views on the ruling that enables direct compensation for and payment of college athletes.
“I view this as a positive right now,” Ferentz, who began his tenure in 1998, said during the Big Ten Media Days on Thursday. “There’s always been some inequality in college athletics across the board. Everybody has the opportunity to reach that number. If we can keep it there and keep the NIL deals within reason and justified, I think that would be healthy for our sport.”
Ferentz, who coached the Hawkeyes to an 8-5 overall record last season, including 6-3 in conference play, also connected the historic settlement to his time as an NFL coach, during which he worked with both the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens.
“After spending six years in the National Football League, where contracts are contracts and where there are salary caps, there are minimums and maximums, to me that’s the ultimate league,” Ferentz said during the press conference. “I know we’re not a professional operation, but hopefully we can find some balance where everybody does have an opportunity to be successful and it’s just not a matter of haves and have-nots.”
With the news of the House settlement came the addition of a donation portal known as “Flight Funds.” Through the portal, fans can donate directly to the budget of four Iowa sports, including football, men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s wrestling.
Additions such as this portal accompany existing benefits for student-athletes, such as scholarships, academic and medical resources, and training.
“As a program, we are always working to compete at the highest level on the field,” Ferentz said in a press release. “Flight Fund is a great opportunity for our fans to contribute directly to our program, which will benefit our student-athletes and all involved with Hawkeye football. Contributions to the Football Flight Fund will enable us to continue to attract and retain the highest quality prospective players to keep our program in a position to compete at a championship level.”
The press conference in Las Vegas saw Ferentz voice his support for key names such as Beth Goetz and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti.
“It’s been a very interesting period in college football,” Ferentz said. “[I] want to take this opportunity to thank Commissioner Petitti for all that he’s done for the Big Ten, his work and efforts on everybody’s behalf and also on campus. Our director of athletics, Beth Goetz, has been doing a great job as well. I know they’ve all got a lot of challenges that they’ve been working through. That is first and foremost.”
In addition to his direct address of recent events and key figures, Ferentz also took the conference as an opportunity to comment on the rapid changes in the world of college sports in recent years, with the Big Ten’s expansion to 18 teams just one example.
“Probably the only constant that I have seen over the last several years is change, and to that point, you really have two choices,” Ferentz said. “The main thing is to try to embrace it and to try to find a way to make it work and stay true to who you are, but also make it work and keep yourself in a competitive position.”