Big buyouts for college coaches are the norm. If athletes start getting revenue, that could change

By ERIC OLSON
AP College Football Writer

Sports economist Andrew Zimbalist says the big contract buyouts paid to fired coaches will continue to grow until the college sports business model changes. Texas A&M will pay more than $75 million to fired football coach Jimbo Fisher. Other top coaches have buyouts that run into the tens of millions. Zimbalist says college athletics is run by stakeholders rather than stockholders and the bottom line is measured by victories rather than profits. He says there will be no end to these golden parachutes until the business model changes and significantly more revenue is redirected to the athletes.