Latest news with #DondePlowman
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Approving SEC budget now in Donde Plowman's purview as new executive committee president
Chancellor Donde Plowman, in addition to leading the University of Tennessee at Knoxville through a historic period of growth, will approve the budget and oversee financial decisions of the Southeastern Conference in her new role as executive committee president. Elected May 29, Plowman will begin her two-year term effective July 1. She was an executive member in 2022 and 2023, and she served as vice president of the committee beneath University of Alabama President Stuart Bell from 2023 through 2024. 'I look forward to working with my SEC colleagues an (SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey) over the next two years,' Plowman posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. 'Can't wait to get started!' The committee is made up of three SEC officers and four people elected during its annual spring meeting. The elected members include a CEO, director of athletics, senior woman administrator and faculty athletics representative. Though Plowman's committee term comes to an end in 2027, she will continue leading UT as chancellor until at least 2029. All 20 Tennessee programs reached the NCAA postseason or a bowl game in 2023-24, with the Vols winning a baseball national title and reaching the Elite Eight in men's basketball in a banner year for Tennessee Athletics. Not only is UT a member of the SEC, but Knoxville is the conference's birthplace. The SEC was founded in December 1932 at the Farragut Hotel on Gay Street, now the Hyatt Place. The full list of executive committee members: President: University of Tennessee at Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman Vice President: University of Missouri President Mun Choi (will become president in 2027) Secretary: Texas A&M Faculty Athletics Representative Paul Batista University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce (will become VP in 2027) University of Florida Faculty Athletics Representative Chris Janelle University of Georgia Athletics Director Josh Brooks University Kentucky Senior Woman Administrator Rachel Baker The election happened during the third day of the SEC's Spring Meetings, where university presidents, chancellors, coaches and others discussed topics including scheduling, the transfer portal and the College Football Playoff and the pending House v. NCAA settlement. Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks at This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee chancellor Plowman elected SEC Executive Committee president
New York Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Collective bargaining in college sports: Is it a third rail or an inevitability?
DESTIN, Fla. — Danny White knew what he was doing. A few days before SEC spring meetings, the Tennessee athletic director filmed a video interview with his boss, school president Donde Plowman, who also knew what she was doing when she asked White how he dealt with all the issues in college sports. Advertisement About a minute into an otherwise unremarkable answer, White dropped what qualifies among school administrators as a bombshell. 'I'll say it, we've got a camera on us (but) I don't really care at this point: Collective bargaining is the only solution.' Plowman nodded in agreement. 'It's the only way we're gonna get there,' Plowman said. The two Tennessee administrators had just stepped on the third rail of college sports. That was noteworthy, as was what happened when White arrived this week at SEC meetings: nothing. It would have been the perfect time for White to expound on his thoughts with media members, but after initially saying he would, he changed his mind. Perhaps someone made a call. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, one of the many within college sports resistant to the idea of a collective bargaining arrangement with athletes, said it wasn't him. 'I've opined about bargaining,' Sankey said Wednesday. As for what he thought about White's comments: 'I'm not going to jump into some public disagreement.' Sankey and others are hoping for approval of the House v. NCAA settlement any minute, which they hope will be followed by federal legislation, bringing a measure of stability that avoids any future need for collective bargaining. White and others think that approach is just delaying the inevitable. Collective bargaining is the reason pro sports leagues don't have incessant court challenges to their rules the way college sports does. Pro leagues negotiate the rules on salary caps, player movement and more with players unions. Many see that as the only surefire way college sports can enforce certain rules, especially when it comes to the transfer restrictions that courts have struck down in recent years, opening up an era of unlimited player movement. White and others believe a collectively bargained agreement with a players union would mean reasonable transfer rules that would stand up in court. Advertisement Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin has been on that side for several years, and he reiterated his stance this week. 'I think there's probably got to be something like that eventually, because for a while now it's been very player-friendly, with the regulations and rules around it,' Kiffin said. 'Now it's going to come back somewhere in the middle. But there probably needs to be (collective bargaining) because you're still going to have a lot of loophole issues and problems, for both sides, until there's real contracts that have years on them.' There are various hurdles to collective bargaining at the college level: the turnover among athletes, fierce resistance among administrators to athletes becoming employees, state laws against public employee unions. 'We have a reality in our states around bargaining,' Sankey said. But there are several models that could get around the issues. The Screen Actors Guild's members are contractors rather than employees because filming takes places all over the country, but the guild still negotiates work rules. Starbucks workers and Uber drivers in New York also have setups that could serve as models. As for those state laws and general hostility to unions, it bears noting that when California passed its precedent-setting name-image-and-likeness law in 2018, many other state legislatures, especially in the South, reacted with scorn. But they changed their mind when they realized schools on the West Coast might have an advantage as a result. Of course, another question is who would serve as head of such a players union, or whatever entity it ends up being. Several people have tried to step forward into those roles, but with the idea seeming far off, the urgency has been lacking. The feeling among many in college sports is that collective bargaining is a last resort, and they'd prefer to let the House settlement take effect and see if federal legislation can help. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin, asked about White's comment, cited Supreme Court judge Brett Kavanaugh's 2021 opinion in the Alston v. NCAA case, which concerned the NCAA's ability to restrict the education-related benefits schools provided athletes. Advertisement 'He said there's really only three ways what college athletics is doing would not be antitrust: One is congressional action, two is through the courts, or three (is) through collective bargaining. I think that still holds true,' Stricklin said. 'Danny obviously believes the other two are not a viable path. The fact of the matter is, if the settlement gets approved, it is an attempt to do it through the courts, which kind of goes along with what Kavanaugh suggested. So I think it has to be one of those three paths.' Notably, that's not saying no to collective bargaining. Stricklin spoke more strongly against athletes becoming employees, although the Johnson v. NCAA case, which could go to trial next year, could still force that into reality. 'I don't think that's what anybody wants right now,' Stricklin said. 'We're doing a lot of things right now, though, that we never thought we'd end up doing. So never say never.' Danny White wouldn't talk this week, but his brother was also in Destin: Mike White, the men's basketball coach at Georgia. That sport deals with the transfer portal in such a way that the coach half-joked that when a player returns for a second year at the same program, 'he's an outlier.' Is collective bargaining the answer? If Mike White agrees with his brother, he wasn't saying. He also was careful not to get whatever phone call his brother got, saying he would let the administrators handle it. Then he summed up the sentiment of seemingly all college coaches. 'Give us the rules and we'll follow them,' White said. 'We'll abide by whatever the framework is and do the best we can, year in and year out.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tennessee athletic director says collective bargaining with athletes the only solution amid chaos
Tennessee athletic director Danny White said the only solution to the real problem in college sports right now is collective bargaining with athletes. 'It's a real issue,' White said an interview with Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman, who shared the video on social media Thursday. 'I'll say it. We got a camera on us. I don't really care at this point. Collective bargaining is the only issue. It's the only solution.' Plowman agreed immediately: 'It's the only way we're going to get there. I agree with you.' The statements are unusual. For decades, universities and athletic conferences that comprise the NCAA have insisted that athletes are students who cannot be considered anything like a school employee. This stance has long been a part of the amateur model at the heart of college athletics, a model that is rapidly being replaced by a more professional structure fed by millions in name, image and likeness compensation for athletes — money that is coming from donors, brands and very likely in a matter of weeks the schools themselves. A federal judge is weighing final approval of a $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement that will clear the way for schools like Tennessee to share as much as $20.5 million directly their athletes every year. Schools are also likely to be asked to fall in line with the settlement given the patchwork of state laws in many places intended to benefit flagship schools. The settlement involving thousands of athletes who sued the NCAA and the five largest conferences does not include collective bargaining, which White made clear he believes will be needed. Michael LeRoy, a labor and employment professor at Illinois familiar with college athletics, noted White's support of collective bargaining was atypical. He recalled then-Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick saying something similar in October 2023 in testimony before Congress. 'This would be a very healthy development for college athletics,' LeRoy said. It's a complicated topic: While private institutions fall under the National Labor Relations Board, public universities must follow labor laws that vary from state to state and it's worth noting that virtually every state in the South has 'right to work' laws that present challenges for unions. LeRoy said while states may vary on labor laws, sports eliminates regional differences. Bargaining with athletes would provide labor stability, he said, and eliminate a major source of future lawsuits and more billion-dollar costs for damages. "If you ask Roger Goodell, 'How would you think about this as a commissioner of the SEC?' He would say, 'No brainer,'' LeRoy said. Tennessee hasn't been shy at speaking up. The chancellor helped lead the university's fight against the NCAA last year to guarantee NIL rights for recruits as the Tennessee attorney general joined Virginia's attorney general to win a court order. White said he is busy trying to position Tennessee to be 'competitively excellent in this new world' with guidelines still being hammered out. He said change isn't happening fast enough. 'The infrastructure was not set up to really guide a national agenda,' White said. 'It's a conglomeration of hundreds of schools, and everybody's got day jobs. It's just really complicated. It's a really complicated issue. The more I've talked to people in pro sports and private equity and all this stuff, it's an extremely complicated issue. But we have to come up with a solution.' ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Press
Washington Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Tennessee athletic director says collective bargaining with athletes the only solution amid chaos
Tennessee athletic director Danny White said the only solution to the real problem in college sports right now is collective bargaining with athletes. 'It's a real issue,' White said an interview with Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman, who shared the video on social media Thursday. 'I'll say it. We got a camera on us. I don't really care at this point. Collective bargaining is the only issue. It's the only solution.' Plowman agreed immediately: 'It's the only way we're going to get there. I agree with you.' The statements are unusual. For decades, universities and athletic conferences that comprise the NCAA have insisted that athletes are students who cannot be considered anything like a school employee. This stance has long been a part of the amateur model at the heart of college athletics, a model that is rapidly being replaced by a more professional structure fed by millions in name, image and likeness compensation for athletes — money that is coming from donors, brands and very likely in a matter of weeks the schools themselves. A federal judge is weighing final approval of a $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement that will clear the way for schools like Tennessee to share as much as $20.5 million directly their athletes every year. Schools are also likely to be asked to fall in line with the settlement given the patchwork of state laws in many places intended to benefit flagship schools. The settlement involving thousands of athletes who sued the NCAA and the five largest conferences does not include collective bargaining, which White made clear he believes will be needed. Michael LeRoy, a labor and employment professor at Illinois familiar with college athletics, noted White's support of collective bargaining was atypical. He recalled then-Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick saying something similar in October 2023 in testimony before Congress. 'This would be a very healthy development for college athletics,' LeRoy said. It's a complicated topic: While private institutions fall under the National Labor Relations Board, public universities must follow labor laws that vary from state to state and it's worth noting that virtually every state in the South has 'right to work' laws that present challenges for unions. LeRoy said while states may vary on labor laws, sports eliminates regional differences. Bargaining with athletes would provide labor stability, he said, and eliminate a major source of future lawsuits and more billion-dollar costs for damages. 'If you ask Roger Goodell, 'How would you think about this as a commissioner of the SEC?' He would say, 'No brainer,'' LeRoy said. Tennessee hasn't been shy at speaking up. The chancellor helped lead the university's fight against the NCAA last year to guarantee NIL rights for recruits as the Tennessee attorney general joined Virginia's attorney general to win a court order. White said he is busy trying to position Tennessee to be 'competitively excellent in this new world' with guidelines still being hammered out. He said change isn't happening fast enough. 'The infrastructure was not set up to really guide a national agenda,' White said. 'It's a conglomeration of hundreds of schools, and everybody's got day jobs. It's just really complicated. It's a really complicated issue. The more I've talked to people in pro sports and private equity and all this stuff, it's an extremely complicated issue. But we have to come up with a solution.' ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: and
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Tennessee athletic director says collective bargaining with athletes the only solution amid chaos
Tennessee athletic director Danny White said the only solution to the real problem in college sports right now is collective bargaining with athletes. 'It's a real issue,' White said an interview with Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman, who shared the video on social media Thursday. 'I'll say it. We got a camera on us. I don't really care at this point. Collective bargaining is the only issue. It's the only solution.' Plowman agreed immediately: 'It's the only way we're going to get there. I agree with you.' The statements are unusual. For decades, universities and athletic conferences that comprise the NCAA have insisted that athletes are students who cannot be considered anything like a school employee. This stance has long been a part of the amateur model at the heart of college athletics, a model that is rapidly being replaced by a more professional structure fed by millions in name, image and likeness compensation for athletes — money that is coming from donors, brands and very likely in a matter of weeks the schools themselves. A federal judge is weighing final approval of a $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement that will clear the way for schools like Tennessee to share as much as $20.5 million directly their athletes every year. Schools are also likely to be asked to fall in line with the settlement given the patchwork of state laws in many places intended to benefit flagship schools. The settlement involving thousands of athletes who sued the NCAA and the five largest conferences does not include collective bargaining, which White made clear he believes will be needed. Michael LeRoy, a labor and employment professor at Illinois familiar with college athletics, noted White's support of collective bargaining was atypical. He recalled then-Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick saying something similar in October 2023 in testimony before Congress. 'This would be a very healthy development for college athletics,' LeRoy said. It's a complicated topic: While private institutions fall under the National Labor Relations Board, public universities must follow labor laws that vary from state to state and it's worth noting that virtually every state in the South has 'right to work' laws that present challenges for unions. LeRoy said while states may vary on labor laws, sports eliminates regional differences. Bargaining with athletes would provide labor stability, he said, and eliminate a major source of future lawsuits and more billion-dollar costs for damages. "If you ask Roger Goodell, 'How would you think about this as a commissioner of the SEC?' He would say, 'No brainer,'' LeRoy said. Tennessee hasn't been shy at speaking up. The chancellor helped lead the university's fight against the NCAA last year to guarantee NIL rights for recruits as the Tennessee attorney general joined Virginia's attorney general to win a court order. White said he is busy trying to position Tennessee to be 'competitively excellent in this new world' with guidelines still being hammered out. He said change isn't happening fast enough. 'The infrastructure was not set up to really guide a national agenda,' White said. 'It's a conglomeration of hundreds of schools, and everybody's got day jobs. It's just really complicated. It's a really complicated issue. The more I've talked to people in pro sports and private equity and all this stuff, it's an extremely complicated issue. But we have to come up with a solution.'
