Mike Brey: Current NIL climate ‘absolutely a factor’ in stepping away from Notre Dame

On3 imageby:Patrick Engel02/06/23

PatrickEngel_

Mike Brey’s upcoming exit as Notre Dame men’s basketball head coach is driven by recent on-court results, a drop-off in program momentum over the last few years and, as he put it Monday, the program being “probably tired of my voice a little bit.” Brey knew it was time. So did Notre Dame.

Nobody is unaware that records and tournament appearances in Brey’s last six years haven’t been close enough to the first 17. Nobody is hiding from acknowledging who is primarily responsible. That’s the business. That’s the job.

The job has, though, changed in the last two years. NCAA rules now permit athletes to financially benefit from use of their name, image and likeness. A lack of concrete rules has ushered in instances of pay for play masquerading as NIL. The combination of NIL and immediate transfer eligibility has upped the stress levels of college basketball coaches.

PROMOTION: Join for only $29.99 to unlock premium access of the best Notre Dame coverage in the market. This is a limited-time offer, so act fast!

Brey won’t miss it, even if it wasn’t the driving factor in his departure.

“The current climate was definitely part of it,” Brey said Monday. “Not a major part of it, but when you looked at moving forward and how to manage it, it was exhausting, quite frankly.”

Other longtime coaches cited the chaotic climate as a reason for retiring on their own volition or not immediately seeking a return after being fired. Active ones — most recently Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim — have grumbled about how the job is harder and how college basketball and football are worse off with NIL and immediate transfer eligibility. It’s hard to say those haven’t made the job more taxing.

Brey, though, has previously offered little sympathy for those complaints. In the end, it’s millionaires griping about job challenges and millionaires who know they signed up for a grind.

“We’ve got to stop complaining,” Brey said in May. “This is the world we’re in. Last time I checked, you make pretty good money. So everybody should shut up and adjust.”

That adjustment for some is moving on.

“I know some other veteran guys have decided to move out of it,” Brey said. “I lived in it for two years, and you’re looking at how you’re managing that. And managing that within the mission of the University of Notre Dame was complicated. It definitely was a factor.”

But it’s not repulsive enough to make him never want another coaching job again.

“You have to know when it’s time,” Brey said. “I would see myself coaching again someday.”

Perhaps that re-entry in college coaching comes when the landscape is different than it is now. The presence of NIL in college sports will likely feel more controlled if new NCAA President Charlie Baker — the former governor of Massachusetts — can convince federal lawmakers to pass legislation on it.

“We’re all hanging on for dear life with it,” Brey said. “But I’m optimistic with the new leadership in the NCAA and his background as far as getting some congressional help on this.”

What will that look like? It’s hard to predict with much certainty right now. One possibility if the government does get involved, though, is athletes becoming university employees. The appetite for that reality among coaches who have gone on the record about it is weak. The alternative of keeping the current landscape, though, is no more appealing to those involved if you take coaches and administrators at their word.

“I’m worried we’re heading down that road fast of employer-employee, where the student-athletes are employees, and distancing them even more from the educational mission,” Brey said. “But with where NIL is now, it’s another step closer to it. With Governor Baker, we have a chance, because it’s such a fresh pair of eyes. I think he can look at this thing differently, and I think he’s not afraid to break some stuff in Indianapolis. That’s where we are, and we have to do it.”

Whatever happens next, one thing is clear now. The one-time transfer exemption and NIL rights aren’t going away.

“If you decide to coach in this atmosphere,” Brey said, “you better be equipped to do it.”

You may also like