Pitt athletics director Allen Greene dealing with reality of 'paying student-athletes'

Over his first 106 days in office at Pitt, Allen Greene has joined administrators, coaches and student-athletes across the nation awaiting approval of the proposed pay-for-play standard in college athletics.

Speaking Saturday morning on Pitt’s flagship station 93.7 FM, Pitt’s athletic director spoke extensively on what the House vs. NCAA settlement will mean to the University of Pittsburgh and most major U.S. athletic departments, especially in regards to adding and retaining talent for their teams.

“Right now, the best way that we can acquire talent — and the national landscape acquires talent — is through money,” he said. “It used to be about scholarships and facilities and some of the shiny stuff. It went from glitz and glam to green.

“We are paying student-athletes. That’s the name of the game.”

Judge Claudia Wilken granted preliminary approval of the settlement Oct. 7. A hearing on final approval is set for April 7.

Upon approval, institutions will be permitted to pay student-athletes for their services, a practice that previously led to severe punishment for schools making under-the-table payments. Greene quantified revenue sharing, “in theory,” having a cap of up to $20.5 million across the board.

Greene, who was hired in October to replace the fired Heather Lyke, said he and his staff repeatedly have met to discuss possible ramifications of the settlement, conceding it has become “a really complex, layered (situation).”

“We use the word ever-changing quite a bit,” he said. “There are a lot of unknowns that are still out there. It’s a really challenging time in college athletics right now. We have to treat our operation more as a business, which means we are going to make more transactional decisions. That is in large part antithetical to why I got into this business, but it’s the realities of where we are. If we’re going to be in the game, let’s play the game.”

Greene said Pitt’s athletic department has the support of Chancellor Joan Gabel and the university’s Board of Trustees in these matters. He said they understand “we are the front porch, and we are the largest marketing arm for the institution.”

“Therefore, it only makes sense that we ensure that football and men’s basketball, in particular, are successful. We have to understand what drives the train and what gives us the opportunity to support our entire department and that is through the main mechanisms of football and basketball.”

Speaking of the difference between pro and college athletics, he said, “Our differentiator is the passion of our fans.”

“Our differentiator is our ability as a department to squeeze all the juice out of the orange that we can, from being responsible with our expenses. And also having the university help us with those expenses.

“In order for us to be successful at the highest level, we have to rev share at the highest level. Depending on the set of circumstances, we may have to provide more resources, more cash, more money to student-athletes to acquire their talents.”

He also made a plea to fans “to make sure that you buy your season tickets.”

“Make sure if you have a couple extra nickels to rub together that you make a contribution to the athletics department. Give a little bit above and beyond. Every little bit matters.

“We’re seeing some schools put in additional fees on their tickets. We’re seeing some schools set up certain funds that go directly to support student-athletes and NIL and revenue sharing. We’re no different. We’re in that same boat, doing the same thing.”