Brian Kelly: Transparency, consistency key for college sports’ future

When asked about the leadership governing college sports, LSU head coach Brian Kelly highlighted “transparency and consistency” as paramount.”Those two words are probably the most important thing as we continue to move forward,” Kelly said at Southeastern Conference media days on Monday.The 63-year-old also placed responsibility on coaches and emphasized the moral aspect of NIL and the evolving landscape of college athletics.”It’s got to start with us. I mean, we have to be the stewards of this. There has to be a moral high ground,” Kelly said. “I was at a speaking engagement a few weeks back, and every question about the NIL was trying to find a way around it, trying to find a way to bring in revenue in some other way.”Sooner or later, we have to take a stand that transparency, consistency, ethics and morality are at the core of this.”LSU faced this reality firsthand when Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2025, flipped his commitment from the Tigers to Michigan in December. The quarterback will reportedly receive an NIL deal worth between $10.5 million and $12 million over four years.Conversely, Kelly and his wife, Paqui, donated $1 million to LSU’s NIL collective Monday as part of their “Kelly Family Million Dollar Match Fund.” The Kellys launched this initiative shortly after Underwood’s flip and pledged to match fan donations to the school’s NIL collective up to $1 million.While the Tigers lost out on their potential quarterback of the future, Kelly is focused on the man under center this season.