San Diego State head coach Rocky Long earned a hefty bonus on Friday. He didn't win any awards or lead the Aztecs to a win. But his player did and he's reaping the benefits in the form of a $10,000 bonus.
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Long, in his seventh season as head coach, "earned" the $10,000 bonus when running back Rashaad Penny was named a First-Team All-American. Penny gets a trophy, maybe a plaque in the program's facilities and a pat on the back. Long gets a five-figure bonus.
That's a disgrace.
No, San Diego State should not break NCAA rules by giving Penny a piece of the pie. They are not allowed to pay student-athletes for individual awards. But they also shouldn't be allowed to pay coaches for such awards. In addition to Long's payday, each staff member gets a one percent raise, as noted by Steve Berkowitz of USA Today.
They are one of three public FBS institutions that rewards coaches for the individual awards of players (Long also gets $10,000 for a Heisman Trophy winner). Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury is paid $250,000 for a Heisman winner and Western Michigan's Tim Lester gets a bonus for many different individual awards, including $2,000 for a first-team all-conference selection (maximum of five players).
Rocky Long has done a remarkable job at San Diego State. He deserves every penny he earns for team accomplishments. He does not, however, deserve $10,000 — or any amount of money — for Rashaad Penny earning an All-American honor.
San Diego State did not respond to a request for comment. If they do, we will include their comment as an update.
