PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Since he took over November 1, Pitt’s new athletic director says they’ve been preparing for the House ruling that was finalized on Friday. Allen Greene explained some of the changes and what Pitt is doing about them with Pat Bostick on the Panthers Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan Saturday.
It’s been a long time coming for all college athletic departments. In simple terms the House settlement combines three pending Name Image Likeness cases-back pay, revenue sharing and limiting scholarship restrictions in favor of roster limits. Greene is more focused on revenue share and the roster questions, things that are in their control going forward.
“What it does is provide clarity around a very new operational approach, significantly different than anything we’ve ever done before,” Greene said on 93.7 The Fan with Bostick. “It requires a commitment to enforcement which is so desperately needed.”
Greene said they’ve had transparent internal conversations with himself, Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel and her team and the Pitt Board of Trustees, specifically chair John Verbanac. Because they’ve been able to be honest about changes, that likely few want, Greene believes it puts the university in a ‘very strong’ position going forward.
The question asked by so many college fan bases is how their favorite school is going to deal with the changes. The Big 10 and SEC are the strongest conferences, but Greene says Pitt will be able to compete in the ACC. It may take more hard work than other places, but the Panthers can play in those arenas.
“I would not be at Pitt if I didn’t think it wasn’t possible here,” Greene said on the Panthers Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan. “We are not going to have the most money. We will have the most grit. We have to figure out how to leverage all that is uniquely Pitt, and use that to our advantage.”
“Where there is a will there is a way. We are going to find a way to win at Pitt.”
Greene warns there is more change coming. This is only the first major piece. There will be more including a desire to get the United States Congress involved with potential intervention to keep schools competing with the same rules and making sure they are enforced.
Pitt has internally shifted money from traditional college spending to deal with the ‘new world order’. They’ve also tried to find new revenue streams. He said the important items for athletic directors just 4-5 years ago, he doesn’t even deal with now.
“We took measures from the get-go to really evaluate our investments and where we were investing,” Greene told Bostick on 93.7 The Fan. “We redistributed our resources to help make sure we are in the best position for future success. Sometimes we have to look at things a little bit differently. We may have to have had to make unconventional decisions. Every school is facing the same battle.”
“We have to be very strategic with redirecting our resources to have the greatest impact.”
It doesn’t mean they don’t care about the men and women in those uniforms. Greene said he will not move from his three pillars of success—academic achievement, developing creative members of society and having championship caliber programs. But it comes down to money and Pitt needs a lot of it to stay competitive.
“Unfortunately, part of this new world order that we find ourselves in, things have become more transactional,” Greene said on the Panthers Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan. “Success has become more transactional. With that, there’s been greater expectation for people to contribute financially.”
“We are going to need the support of the Pittsburgh community, financially in particular, to help pull this off. I’m really excited about the opportunity we have at Pitt to really make a mark in this modern area of college athletics.”
The innocence, perceived or otherwise, of college sports is gone. Greene and athletic directors across the country need of new financial resources to cut paychecks for the athletes.