Video: Geno Auriemma Rips 'Charade' of Student-Athlete amid NIL, Transfer Portal Era

UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma believes it's time to reclassify college sports with athletes earning outside endorsement money.

Auriemma said Wednesday during the Big East's media day the old student-athlete model is now a "charade." He argued it more resembles "semi-professional, pay-for-play sports" that should be treated like a "business."

The legendary coach has never been shy about voicing his opinion regarding the new normal in college athletics. The increasing ease with which players are allowed to transfer in particular has been one of his longstanding gripes.

In 2019, before the NCAA approved its first one-time transfer rule, Auriemma suggested that "the majority of coaches in America are afraid of their players," lest those players decide to leave.

"The NCAA, the athletic directors and society has made them afraid of their players," he said, per ESPN's Michael Voepel. "Every article you read: 'This guy's a bully. This woman's a bully. This guy went over the line. This woman was inappropriate.'

"Yet the players get off scot-free in everything. They can do whatever they want. They don't like something you say to them, they transfer. Coaches, they have to coach with one hand behind their back. Why? Because some people have abused the role of a coach."

Not surprisingly, Auriemma opinions haven't evolved much since he made those comments. Following a victory over St. John's this past January, he lamented the "transactional" relationship between player and coach.

Of course, Auriemma's attitudes about the transfer portal haven't stopped the Huskies from capitalizing on the changes in the past. Evina Westbrook and Dorka Juhász signed with UConn before graduating from their previous schools.

When it comes to the increased professionalization of college sports, the 70-year-old is echoing what a lot of coaches and fans think already.

Athletes are getting NIL money, enjoy more freedom of movement than ever, in some cases have to travel thousands of miles for conference games, and are seeing television networks spend hundreds of millions of dollars to broadcast their games. The days of amateurism in major-revenue sports are over.

But some might see Auriemma's opinions, especially on how athletes get to exercise some leverage themselves, as a bit rich coming from a coach who months ago signed an $18.7 million extension.