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Contrary to what Bill Friday has said, the compensation deserved by a major collegiate football coach should not be compared with that of a university faculty member. Not unless, that is, Friday is arguing faculty members bring in the same amount of money to the University that Butch Davis does.

Like it or not, major collegiate athletics is a primary revenue driver for universities. Furthmore, the success of a university's major athletic programs (football, basketball, baseball, etc) does factor in to a student's decision on where to get his/her education. By taking a proactive step to assure the continued rebuilding process of the football program, which Davis will provide, the University has increased its overall national appeal to collegiate students. That, in turn, improves the quality of the student body and the academic reputation of the university nationwide.

I don't know why Friday thinks having competitive athletics programs has to be mutually exclusive with devotion to high academic standards.