Phillip Fulmer’s $90,000 bonus is a complete embarrassment and joke

Phillip Fulmer receives a $90,000 bouns from the Learfield Directors’ Cup. We think that money would be better off elsewhere.

America, the land where the rich keep on getting richer. And, in the life of Phillip Fulmer, that means a $90,000 bouns.

If you were wondering why he is getting a bonus, it’s because the Tennessee athletics program finished 35th in the final standings of the Learfield’s Directors’ Cup. 35th in the nation was good enough for 11th in the SEC.

There are only 14 teams in the SEC, so coming 11th isn’t even mediocre. And, it’s a complete embarrassment that there is a bonus opportunity in such a situation.

Is this really where the Tennessee program is? A little worse than Missouri and a little better than Ole Miss.

Giving away $90,000 for coming in 11th in the SEC? Keep in mind the $90,000 is just a bonus. Phillip Fulmer signed a four-year deal worth over a million dollars back in April.

Are you asking yourself what the median household income in the city of Knoxville is? According to datausa.io, the median salary is $34,556. So, Fulmer’s bonus is worth almost three times the median household income.

Look, I’m not the type of person to complain about people making their money. Trust me, one day I hope my hard work pays off and I can make that kind of money. However, there have to be better ways to distribute that money.

And, I’ve also never been the guy to pay student-athletes. It’s another topic for another day. No, I’ve never been a student-athlete at a big-time University. However, college is expensive so getting a free ride goes a long way. Out-of-State tuition and fees for the 2017-18 school year cost $31,426. Multiple that number by the four years spent in school, and the student-athlete just received $125,704 worth of benefits.

That is not to mention all the free stuff they get for playing a sport. Which include free personal trainers, food, protein, surgeries, and the list goes on and on.

I feel as if sometimes that gets lost when the pay discussion comes up. On the other hand, let players decide their future endeavors at whatever age they see fit. I like to use former South Carolina Gamecocks running back Marcus Lattimore for this example.

He was a baller his freshman season. He rushed for over 1,000 yards with 17 touchdowns. If Lattimore were able to enter into the NFL Draft that season, he would have probably been a lottery pick. The kid was that good.

I say all that to say this, use that $90,000 on the student-athletes. Clearly, there are a lot of athletes, but I’m sure schools could get creative enough to do something worthwhile. It is better than giving it to another guy making millions off college sports.

Next: Top 10 Vols teams that didn’t win a championship

Again, I’m not suggesting paying the players. However, that money would be better spent giving it to them. After all, they are the reasons Phillip Fulmer is getting a bonus anyways.