Bill Snyder is nicknamed The Wizard for a reason. He's worked a special type of magic at Kansas State over the years, and has ran a model program that coaches everywhere look up to.
Snyder is also 77 years old and has witnessed first hand more change in football than any other coach at the college level, so when he talks about the state of college football today, ears everywhere perk up.
That's exactly what Snyder did today, weighing in on how college football has sold itself out and put kids on the back burner in lieu of winning games and some cold, hard cash.
"You know, we speak all the time about the welfare of the student-athlete and indeed that is not what has evolved as the most important thing. It's been strictly about winning and dollars. Maybe dollars first and then winning second, or vice versa. But you know, I think we've sold out to the sold out to the dollars and cents. We've sold out to TV."
"We've spent countless millions and millions and millions of dollars on so many things. I mean, we all have nice facilities, and we're all grateful for the people who invest the money to do that, but to me, it kind of sends a little different message as well, It's a message that says the dollars and cents are more important than anything else, more important to the value system that you're trying to impart on young people in your program. There are a lot of things that enter into it, but it's changed dramatically over the years."
On a roll, Snyder also weighed in on coaching salaries and how ridiculous college football facilities have become over the years.
"When all that kind of money is involved, you look at the faculty members, who are the ones who impart the education to these young people, and they get a distaste in their mouth because they're grossly underpaid, and they're in closets for offices, and they see all the grandeour of college athletics or the football program, and have justifiably-so ill feeling about college athletics and sometimes that can impact their feelings toward young student-athletes."
Very few, if any, college football coaches today would stand at the podium and speak so truthfully like that, so hats off to The Wizard.
Also worth noting, Snyder noted during the presser that:
Below you can see tweets with transcripts of his full statements.