Kris Budden unloads rant about Big Ten coaches' travel complaints

Complaints about long travel for games are once again popping up in the Big Ten. Penn State head coach James Franklin mentioned the flight to Los Angeles as a reason why the Nittany Lions were not prepared to play UCLA. A quick comment but one that caught the attention of Kris Budden.

The ESPN reporter has had enough of Big Ten coaches, not just Franklin, using the travel excuse. She went on a fiery rant about the topic on Monday, saying the excuses need to stop.

“I will run myself through a window if I hear one more Big Ten coach blame it on the freaking travel,” Buden said via SiriusXM. “I cannot. It’s not even about you accepting the money to be a part of this super league. These are professional athletes now, call them what they are. They fly on a charter. All of your top athletes sit on a lie-flat plane at the very front, the same way every professional athlete does at the next level. I’ve never heard Matthew Stafford go over and play in Tampa and say, ‘Sorry I lost today, I had to fly across the country.’

“Baseball players at the next level do it every single day. Basketball players, football players. This is beyond the ability to me to comprehend anymore, you complaining about the travel. It was one thing before they got paid. Now, you’re getting paid more than 90% of the population. It is part of the job.”

This is the second time in two years Penn State has gone out to Los Angeles for a game. Last year was due to a game against USC, one they won by three points in overtime. Every Big Ten team has gone far west to this point after conference realignment– whether it’s to LA, Eugene, or Seattle.

Flights from the Pacific to the Atlantic are taking place too. Not too long ago, Oregon took down Penn State inside Beaver Stadium with an insane White Out crowd on hand. It’s part of Big Ten scheduling now but overall, not Budden’s main point.

Key players are paid quite well in modern college football. Budden argues the planes are nice enough through NIL that travel is no longer a valid reason for not playing well during games. Whether it’s the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL, she says college football players should be held to the same standard.