Calif. Gov Newsom is demanding UCLA explain its Big Ten move. Former Notre Dame star and NFL player dies at 35. UGA head coach Kirby Smart agrees to $112 million/10-year contract extension, and more college football news
Calif. Gov Newsom demanding UCLA explain its move from Pac-12 to Big Ten
California Governor Gavin Newsom is demanding UCLA officials publicly explain their reasoning for leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten conference and how it is beneficial. Newsom attended a closed-door UC Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco on Wednesday. UC is a private institution and not part of the UC system. Newsom is an ex officio member of the Board of Regents.
The question being asked of UCLA is how the move will benefit all student-athletes, as well as how to mitigate the financial effects it will cause to UC Berkeley, California's other public university in the Pac 12, ABC 7 reported.
"The first duty of every public university is to the people - especially students," Gov. Newsom said in a statement. "UCLA must clearly explain to the public how this deal will improve the experience for all its student-athletes, will honor its century-old partnership with UC Berkeley, and will preserve the histories, rivalries, and traditions that enrich our communities."
Reportedly, the regents could require UCLA to pay UC Berkeley an exit fee for leaving the Pac-12 or share TV revenues they will gain from a move to the Big Ten.
From UCLA's perspective, its athletic department sponsors 23 sports and is facing a $102.8-million deficit with most of that occurring in the past couple of years. However, there was no comment on how the pandemic may have played a role in the deficit.
UGA head coach Kirby Smart agrees to 10-year, $112.5 million contract extension
The University of Georgia and head football coach Kirby Smart have agreed to a 10-year contract extension worth $112.5 million that will carry through the 2031 season. Smart’s annual base salary and supplemental compensation for the upcoming 2022 season will be $10,250,000. The contract provides annual increases that will culminate at $12,250,000 for the 2031 season, WSB-TV Atlanta reported.
The new contract escalates Smart to one of the highest-paid head coaches in college football, elevating him above Alabama’s Nick Saban and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher.
Last season, under Smart’s leadership, the Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Former Notre Dame star and NFL player dies at 35
Paul Duncan, a star offensive lineman at Notre Dame from 2005-2009 and who had a brief NFL career with the Denver Broncos, died last week at the age of 35. His wife announced his death this week. The couple shares two children, the Daily Wire reported.
"Yesterday, Friday July 15th, Paul went into cardiac arrest while on a run in our neighborhood," Ellen Duncan wrote on Instagram. "Today he was pronounced brain dead. We will have a medical examination to understand cause of death. His body will be donated to people in need of organs and to medical research. Thank you for your prayers and support."