Missouri’s Drinkwitz Getting Crushed for Comments About Players’ NIL Payments

The coach made $4 million in 2022, during which the Tigers went 6–7.

Many college coaches have not held back their disdain for athletes’ newfound financial freedoms since the advent of widespread rules governing NIL rights. None, however, have done so with a turn of phrase quite like the one Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz used Tuesday morning at the SEC’s meetings in Destin, Fla.

Drinkwitz was asked about sports gambling and pointed out that NIL rules allowed some players to make more money than his pediatrician brother-in-law. It was the kind of comment that might have found a more receptive audience had Drinkwitz’s own salary—$4 million—not been a matter of public record.

"We're giving guys, 18-22-year-olds, life-changing money. People are making more money on NIL than my brother-in-law who is a pediatrician who saves lives," Drinkwitz said. "And we kind of do it cavalier and we think there's not going to be side effects and issues? There's bad actors out there, bad actors out there always trying to make a dollar, running around campuses trying to gather information. It's going to become a key issue in our locker room."

Eli Drinkwitz’s comment here was responding to a question on sports gambling. Here is more context around it: pic.twitter.com/pwI4H8lrIQ

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) May 30, 2023

Drinkwitz was roundly ridiculed for his comparison, especially in the wake of his pedestrian 17–9 record since the Tigers hired him in Dec. 2019.

Eli Drinkwitz got a contract extension and a $2 million raise last season, four days after losing to Kentucky and three days before his Missouri team lost by 42 points against Tennessee https://t.co/Vfm7F0Xoh7

— Will Backus (@will_backus1) May 30, 2023

Many noted that the structure of his contract will see his salary escalate in future seasons.

Eli Drinkwitz is 17-19 as the head coach at #Mizzou. He was awarded a new contract at the end of last season which will pay him $6 million (2023), $6.25 million (2024), $6.5 million (2025), $6.75 million (2026) and $7 million (2027).

But, yeah. https://t.co/uAxeKnUGJE

— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) May 30, 2023

Some found humor in Drinkwitz's lack of self-awareness.

Eli Drinkwitz vs his brother in law https://t.co/grG6sojzIJ pic.twitter.com/OJWo9mvUAQ

— Pregame Empire (@PregameEmpire) May 30, 2023

ESPN personality Myron Medcalf weighed in, comparing Drinkwitz’s salary to that of another local public official in Columbia, Mo.

Clayton Farr Jr. is the chief of the fire department in Colombia, Missouri. He makes $146,000 a year. Eli Drinkwitz will make $6 million this year or more than 41 times what the leader of the life-saving fire department gets. Somebody should ask the Missouri coach about that one.

— Myron Medcalf (@MedcalfByESPN) May 30, 2023