Virginia men's basketball coach Tony Bennett is retiring effective immediately

[underpants]

Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett never chased the spotlight. That included with his stunning and abrupt decision to retire effective immediately, announced on the eve of the start of the season.

The program said Thursday the 55-year-old Bennett will announce his retirement at a news conference on Friday at 11 a.m. EDT. No reasons were given for his decision, which was unveiled simply in an online post by the program months after he had signed a contract extension to keep him in the job through at least 2030.

It came a week after Bennett appeared at the Atlantic Coast Conference’s preseason media days, and with the Cavaliers’ opener against Campbell looming at home on Nov. 6.

Bennett led the Cavaliers to the national title in 2019. In his 15 seasons as the coach in Charlottesville, he made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances.
https://apnews.com/article/uva-basketball-tony-bennett-retires-3f35191638505430b0889202e11027de

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. Things that make you go Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[underpants]

4. NIL money

He’s sick of it according to my sources.

[rurallib]

2. That's a shame - Bennet is a heck of a coach

who - as you noted - doesn't chase the spotlight. Hope all is well with him.

[LisaM]

3. Yes, I hope he's not ill.

That was my first thought.

[underpants]

5. NIL money. He's done with it.

According to good sources.

[LisaM]

6. I don't blame him, if that's the case.

I didn't like it to begin with, but it's turned out even worse than I thought.

[underpants]

7. I think the players should get paid but it's taken over

They are basically in a bidding war. This is why Saban quit at Alabama.

[LisaM]

8. I think a stipend or something was fine..

On top of the scholarship, room, board, travel, exposure, and the other freebies they were getting (which totalled well over a quarter of a million dollars, all told, in many cases, if the players stayed for four years). For all we bemoan the expense and value of a college education, it apparently was worth $0 when it came to college athletes.

Any fool could have seen this coming. The coaches can't compete with the sponsors and rich alumni and donors. Kids are going to continue to play four games and go into the transfer portal. Athletes and positions will be for sale.

The billionaires and shoe companies wanted college sports and they got it. Hoo-ray for them, I guess, if those are the people you root for. I think it sucks.

If a $60,000 a year paid-for college education that comes with tutors, housing, a generous stipend, free bonding trips ahead of the season, a training table, dietitians, sports psychologists, gyms, saunas, hot tubs, and a players' lounge isn't worth anything, I am not sure what kind of a world we live in.

Yes, in some cases the school and league make money off the players (much of which goes to fund other sports, BTW), but what's quickly happened is ridiculous.

[AZProgressive]

12. They shouldn't be in the business of sports if they don't want to pay their labor a fair salary

A fair salary is what I consider market value based on teams competing for that athlete's services.

They should also remove the professional pressures from the sport if they don't want to pay the athletes and they shouldn't do Big Ten Networks, SEC Networks, or ESPN+ for Big 12 and smaller conferences besides the Mountain West.

Arizona State got rid of their coach Herm Edwards who lost Jayden Daniels in the transfer portal and replaced him with somebody that can effectively navigate the transfer portal and NIL with Kenny Dillingham. I actually opposed the hire at first but it is working out especially with his recruits such as Skattebo and Leavitt.

It is hypocrisy for the NCAA to be ok with teams changing conferences and creating conference network TV deals and generally making as much money as possibly while having a monopsonic rule that pays every athlete the same wage which was a 1 year scholarship that be renewed if they don't get cut and trust me abusive coaches hung that over athletes heads if they weren't stars.

I'm glad to see WCB stars make NIL deals such as Juju Watkins and Caitlin Clark when she played. They deserve it too since WCB is the third most popular NCAA sport.

The NCAA is a cartel BTW.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Heard The Same

He actually said he was no longer the right guy for the job.
Was watching PTI the other day, and Wilbon said his son's friend is a 5 star recruit. (He didn't say what sport.)
Anyway, the kid has always had his heart set on going to school X.
He decided on his college & Wilbon said ge told his son there was no drama, he's going to X.
His son said nope. School Y offered him $400k per year. Four hundred grand!
Kid could end up not good enough for the pros & still leave college with over a million bucks.
On top of that, Adrian Wojnarowski left ESPN to become his alma mater's athletic department GENERAL MANAGER! A college athletic department needs a GM. Like managing a salary cap & distribution of payments.
I can see why Bennet has had enough.

[underpants]

10. The Bennett situation made me aware of something I wasn't aware of

These guys have agents, they ones coming out of high school too. I didn’t know that.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Heard That, Too

Same Wilbon conversation.
Some of these kids aren't even 18 yet. Their parents have to sign for them!