Emmert 'couldn't disagree more' with separating FBS football from NCAA

NCAA president Mark Emmert said Tuesday he "couldn't disagree more" with a proposal suggesting the NCAA should no longer be responsible for FBS football, according to ESPN's Dan Murphy.

Lawmakers and local officials have been critical of the NCAA for allowing coaches and administrators to benefit from a lucrative financial windfall while athletes are shut out from profits.

The Knight Commission, a non-profit group focused on reform, released a report in 2020 that suggested FBS football be removed from its amateur sports counterpart to preserve athletics at the collegiate level.

Emmert criticized the proposal, saying it would turn college football into a "pure entertainment industry with paid professionals."

He declared 2021 a "seminal year" for college sports' governing body. He hopes that member schools will prioritize the needs of athletes despite the "enormous amount of revenue" generated by FBS football and basketball programs.

"One of the big issues for me, and I know for you, isn't whether or not sports produce big revenue. It's what do we do with the revenue," added Emmert.

Meanwhile, Emmert expressed frustration after the NCAA announced it's delaying its self-imposed deadline for changing the rules on how college athletes can benefit from their name, image, likeness. The NCAA president said the governing body is committed to establishing changes to the NIL and transfer rules as soon as possible.

"We promised this to our students. We're going to get it done," Emmert said.

Other priorities for the NCAA in 2021 include increasing diversity among men and women holding administrative and coaching positions in collegiate athletics.