Topic: Country Roads Trust

[bighat]

WVU set up trust for NIL.

[marshallmark]

WVU set up trust for NIL.

Some WVU alums have done so.  The university is prohibited from being involved. 

https://countryroadstrust.com/

[svherd]

Regardless, gonna be hard for them to compete against the big boys. Wonder if Chad, Byron, Mike D, Hammy, DD, Troy Brown, and other prominent alumni would do something like this for MU athletes?

[marshallmark]

Regardless, gonna be hard for them to compete against the big boys. Wonder if Chad, Byron, Mike D, Hammy, DD, Troy Brown, and other prominent alumni would do something like this for MU athletes?

They'll do ok. 

Marshall has to do something, or we'll be left behind.  I don't blame a kid for wanting cash in his/her pocket with all other things being fairly equal.  I've read where every football recruit for Texas A&M can expect a check for $50k after signing day.  This has the potential of ruining college football, IMO

[Mako]

They'll do ok. 

Marshall has to do something, or we'll be left behind.  I don't blame a kid for wanting cash in his/her pocket with all other things being fairly equal.  I've read where every football recruit for Texas A&M can expect a check for $50k after signing day.  This has the potential of ruining college football, IMO

I don't think it will make much difference.  Let's be honest, these major programs have always been funneling a shitload of money to their players.  It just happened under the table.  I have heard plenty of ESPN former NFL players talk about how much money they were paid while they were in college. 

[herdfan429]

I don't think it will make much difference.  Let's be honest, these major programs have always been funneling a %^&*load of money to their players.  It just happened under the table.  I have heard plenty of ESPN former NFL players talk about how much money they were paid while they were in college.

It already has made a difference. Did athletes get hundred dollar handshakes before? Absolutely, but now it?s a free for all. Add in the transfer portal and now you have nothing but free agency. It?s time for another split amongst the p5 and g5. This is the final nail in the coffin of college athletics.

[herd2win]

Am OK now not being in with the 6 schools that matter.  College athletics is a mess and I had fun to when we were in the Southern Conference and I will enjoy Herd sports now.  WVU can set up whatever trust they want but will still be irrelevant in college football.

Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Clemson, Oklahoma, USC now with Lincoln Riley and maybe Texas A&M.  Those are the only teams the national media speaks about in a regular basis.

Would rather win a G5 championship then participate in the this joke.

[puma]

Do any Marshall players currently have NIL deals and how does it compare against other G5 programs?

[MUther]

As I mentioned on the private board, what's the ROI on a G5 spending that kind of money on NIL?  At best we can expect the Access Bowl, realistically.  Does that warrant adding a few million in NIL per season to pay players to come or stay here?  No it does not, imo.  The top 20 schools with an actual shot at a national title in any given year could probably justify it.  The secondary P5s might try it to elevate their team into that top category and knock someone else out.  But for us and schools like us?  It's a pipe dream.  NIL money gets us nowhere beyond where we already are in football.  Basketball is a different story, imo.  Less overall money needed and equal footing in the end season if good enough to get there.

If we were to try anything, throw a ton of money from private sources at basketball.  Start with a new coach that understands the goal is to win the conference AND the tournament to get good seeding in the NCAAs and make runs, perennially.   Buy the players that can make that a reality.  2-3 top recruits and a few good D1 players to support them is all you need to be a good team.  We could afford that.   But we have to have a coach that can recognize who those players are and get them here.

Trying to compete in football using NIL, with no prize at the end, is a fool's errand.  Put your money where it can actually do some good.

[forphase1]

Some WVU alums have done so.  The university is prohibited from being involved. 

https://countryroadstrust.com/

If you believe that...I've got some ocean front property here in Wayne County I'd love to sell to ya.  Universities across the country are 'prohibited' from doing so, yet are being very involved in it (See TXAM for example).  I certainly don't think WVU is going to be above the rest and keep their hands clean. 

[chris88]

I think all NIL is a fool's errand.

If you can make money off your name WITHOUT the university than you should be able to go do it. No reason our FB Center shouldn't be able to make money on side playing guitar/singing. But FB players should not be making money just playing football at MU because they could not do it without the huge investment the university, fans, support staff, tutors, Big Green etc make. If businesses want to give former student athletes money for advertising etc than that is a market they can pursue. MU FB and even BB are not self sufficient to my knowledge and we shouldn't be advocating for them being paid for simply doing what they signed up to do when they accept the scholarship.

I have no problem if players want/need a job to pay for school...just like any other student or to make extra money...especially out of season. Why shouldn't an athlete be able to have a PT job on or off campus in spring or summer? If they want to pay a student $100 to hold a broom that's fine too as long as they do it equally for womens swimming or an accounting major. Many academic scholly students also work. The can of worms they are opening is going to hurt the programs, the athletes, and the general student population. Imagine your kid is a great student at Texas AM but still has thousands of expenses not covered and you learn not only are FB players getting a free education, but books, food, nutrition, medical treatment and 50K a yr in cash? That's not capitalism, that's croneyism and really nothing more than a carveout/kickback/bribe.

[MUonium]

As I mentioned on the private board, what's the ROI on a G5 spending that kind of money on NIL?  At best we can expect the Access Bowl, realistically.  Does that warrant adding a few million in NIL per season to pay players to come or stay here?  No it does not, imo.  The top 20 schools with an actual shot at a national title in any given year could probably justify it.  The secondary P5s might try it to elevate their team into that top category and knock someone else out.  But for us and schools like us?  It's a pipe dream.  NIL money gets us nowhere beyond where we already are in football.  Basketball is a different story, imo.  Less overall money needed and equal footing in the end season if good enough to get there.

If we were to try anything, throw a ton of money from private sources at basketball.  Start with a new coach that understands the goal is to win the conference AND the tournament to get good seeding in the NCAAs and make runs, perennially.   Buy the players that can make that a reality.  2-3 top recruits and a few good D1 players to support them is all you need to be a good team.  We could afford that.   But we have to have a coach that can recognize who those players are and get them here.

Trying to compete in football using NIL, with no prize at the end, is a fool's errand.  Put your money where it can actually do some good.

but isn't a major prize at the end- maintain/grow the number one moneymaking fanbase, then the number two and so forth?  we all know the investment or the ROI will come almost exclusively if not totally from private or outside sources.  for instance, in many cases it will be hard to compete (recruiting, whatever) with peers who are in large business markets, have large student populations which = large alumni bases.  although it really didn't work for CUSA the round before, perhaps this (NIL writing on the wall) was actually an all-in strategy with the AAC's latest round of alignment additions??  anyway, i think it's not a good time/climate for small schools like MU, but we've overcome before.

[herdfan129]

We can all sit here and complain or we can start our own trust.

[chris88]

We can all sit here and complain or we can start our own trust.

You think NOT having a trust plan is going to make us any less competitive than we have been over the last 20 years?  How about we espouse to keep amateur athletics amateur in the realm of what they do on field while wearing a university uniform and let the players make money outside of that any way they want

[marshallmark]

If you believe that...I've got some ocean front property here in Wayne County I'd love to sell to ya.  Universities across the country are 'prohibited' from doing so, yet are being very involved in it (See TXAM for example).  I certainly don't think WVU is going to be above the rest and keep their hands clean.

Texas has different rules than does WV

[Scottyo614]

We can all sit here and complain or we can start our own trust.

Herdfans.com NIL. Let?s fund a kicker/punter/long snapper. Really make a go at it.

[herdfan129]

You think NOT having a trust plan is going to make us any less competitive than we have been over the last 20 years?  How about we espouse to keep amateur athletics amateur in the realm of what they do on field while wearing a university uniform and let the players make money outside of that any way they want

Dumbest plan yet....NIL is here to stay whether we like it or not. We have two options. We can band together to start our own trust and try to be a top G5. Or we can have your attitude and be the next Morehead St. I don't care either way, but those are the options.

[chris88]

Dumbest plan yet....NIL is here to stay whether we like it or not. We have two options. We can band together to start our own trust and try to be a top G5. Or we can have your attitude and be the next Morehead St. I don't care either way, but those are the options.

No true capitalist would be for this type of bribery scheme IMO. What Texas AM is doing is effectively offering a signing bonus to an amateur athlete...that is a bribe. And he is making money with no risk...something normally reserved for politicians, bankers, and other cronyists. If people don't see that as a harbinger for corruption that's on them. If the top 15 or so unlimted resource programs want to do it, let them.

For Marshall I would guess half or more of our fanbase struggles to makes ends meet and I doubt they are going to be on the bandwaggon...especially when BG or others ask them for more money for other things. If donors want to light their own money on fire that is up to them. But rest assured that if we don't win at a level they expect you better believe they will have even more influence about which coaches and maybe even players stay. If we have to resort to that to win than count me out. It would make any success tainted imo.

[2xBison]

we are strapped for money and don't get enough donations as it is....anything we raise for a NIL will just be money that won't go directly to the Big Green or University.  we will be back after the same pot of money which wasn't enough. 

[herdfan129]

You guys are right? we should drop sports or go to non scholarship like Morehead.

[goherd24]

Some WVU alums have done so.  The university is prohibited from being involved. 

https://countryroadstrust.com/

This is funny.

Kids under 21 are prohibited from drinking alcohol too, never happens.

[chris88]

You guys are right? we should drop sports or go to non scholarship like Morehead.

I think what you do is, as a group of five, you say we are not going to participate in the NIL bribery scheme. Instead we are going to create rules that will allow players to make money outside of their sport in any legal means they want. Hold jobs, use whatever talents they have to compete in open marketplace to enhance their situation as long as it comes with the same type of risk/reward than anyone else trying to earn money. If Will Ulmer's guitar play pays him $200 an hr so be it. If you don't have that talent maybe you have to work at Kroger for $10 an hour.

The P5 is going to get who they want anyway. You think we are going to "outpay/bribe" our peer institutions for players?  As stated, we are already in a bad situation: 
- Worse state in losing population
- One of smallest enrollment public D1 FB schools
- Not a great comparable location
- One of poorer states in union

Now you think we are going to be able to find enough funds to get the potentially best/one of best QB etc available to G5 schools? If anything our lot will get worse. For sake of argument, lets say we outbribe other schools for a top recruit. We pat ourselves on back and give him a 100k NIL contract (aka Charlie Batch type proposal). He plays one year and either stinks/gets hurt and we still have a QB issue or he lights it up and takes the cash and heads to the portal after one year and gets an even better NIL at a top school. What are you going to do?...offer him an incentive laden contract for his NIL?  Not going to happen.  Sue him to get money back? Good luck with that. How is the donor going to help ensure that the coaches we hire are really good enough recruiters to make sure that their investment will be made wisely? You can't.

[MUther]

I think they want us to say that.  To draw the line for them and give them that excuse to separate.  Then when the lawsuits come they can say "They chose not to compete with us." 

But the G5 banding together would not work either.  You think Liberty would honor the treaty?  SMU?  We can't kick them out of D1.  Nobody is good for their word with the amount of money going around in college football.  All we can control is Marshall.  We can set an example and talk about the ludicrousy of the situation and hope most teams at our level agree with us and maybe some recruits and their parents will also see the light.

Like I said before though, we aren't creating a trust for NIL when our trust for scholarships is so lacking.  It's probably just a matter of time before the schools create a trust with a separate fee for the students and say it was created by the students.  A school with 50k students charging $100 NIL fee adds a cool $5M per semester to the pot.  That is substantial and costs no one person much at all.  Would not work for us unless we started online programs and got enrollment up.

But the student body could create the vote and the trust and separate it from the university even though the university is puling the strings.

[chris88]

I think they want us to say that.  To draw the line for them and give them that excuse to separate.  Then when the lawsuits come they can say "They chose not to compete with us." 

But the G5 banding together would not work either.  You think Liberty would honor the treaty?  SMU?  We can't kick them out of D1.  Nobody is good for their word with the amount of money going around in college football.  All we can control is Marshall.  We can set an example and talk about the ludicrousy of the situation and hope most teams at our level agree with us and maybe some recruits and their parents will also see the light.

Like I said before though, we aren't creating a trust for NIL when our trust for scholarships is so lacking.  It's probably just a matter of time before the schools create a trust with a separate fee for the students and say it was created by the students.  A school with 50k students charging $100 NIL fee adds a cool $5M per semester to the pot.  That is substantial and costs no one person much at all.  Would not work for us unless we started online programs and got enrollment up.

But the student body could create the vote and the trust and separate it from the university even though the university is pulling the strings.

No way will students/parents agree to pay an extra $100 a year for NIL for a few student athletes.

[MUther]

No way they agree to student fees for athletics.  No way they agree to raise those fees.  No way those fees will never be reduced even though promised.  The thing about a tax, which is all that is, is it will get implemented, it will grow, and once part of the deal it will never go away.  Don't be surprised when this starts happening at places.

The student fee was like $50 a semester in 1987.  What's it up to now $300-$400?
Many FBS schools fund more than half their athletic budget with student fees.  That was unheard of 30 years ago.