John Bel Calls For College Coaches Salary Cap

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has a history of saying some pretty outrageous things when it comes to college sports, particularly football. Who remembers last year, when JBE suggested that the state's budget crisis could result in the cancellation of the LSU football season? Well, now it seems the Gov has done it again, saying that college football coaches salaries are "obscene" and that something should be done to keep them within certain limits.

According to theadvocate.com:

"Edwards, during a meeting with The Advocate editorial board last week, expressed his concern over escalating staff salaries that have 'gotten out of control,'" 

The Governor, who may have been referring to former LSU football boss Les Miles, who is still being paid millions by the school, despite his dismissal over a year ago, continued to Advocate reporters:

“I am concerned. I’m not as concerned as I would be if those were tax dollars being spent. I do think that there has to be some look nationally at some sort of salary caps for the organizations. This is an arms race, and it’s gotten out of control. Some of the salaries and buyouts are obscene, and they can create all sorts of problems."

Then, according to the Advoocate, John Bel took a walk down the populist road:

“And what about those faculty members at LSU and elsewhere who haven’t had a raise of any size in many, many years and they’re seeing what’s happening in athletics?"

In addition to the seven figure payout to Miles, LSU also pays current head coach Ed Orgeron a multi-million dollar annual salary. And to convince him to eschew other lucrative offers, the Tigers just upped defensive coordinator Dava Aranda's yearly take-home to $2.5 million.

Meanwhile, three of college football's highest paid coaches all reside in LSU's division, the SEC's West: Alabama's Nick Saban (the game's highest) at $11.2 million a year, new Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher at 7.5 million and Auburn's Gus Malzahn, who pockets "a mere" $3.85 million.