Footy star Scott Pendlebury says AFL superstars like Dustin Martin and Nick Daicos are ‘severely underpaid’ and should be given extra money because they ‘can’t live normal lives’
- Scott Pendlebury says top players should earn more
- Argues Daicos and Martin ‘cannot lead normal lives’
- {layers receiving 28 percent of sales ‘not enough’
Collingwood veteran Scott Pendlebury says the biggest names in the AFL are “severely underpaid” and should be getting more money because they have “nowhere to go” or “live normal lives.”
Appears on the Ball Magnets podcast alongside NBA star Josh Giddey on Monday, Pendlebury explained how he would lead the AFL if he was put in charge.
“I still think the players and coaching staff in our game are grossly underpaid,” said Pendlebury.
Everyone will say, “You get paid as much as players.” Nick Daicos, Dusty Martin – like they can’t live a normal life in Melbourne. They have nowhere to go.
“They say, ‘Well, you get paid 250,000.
Scott Pendlebury says the biggest names in the AFL are currently ‘severely underpaid’ – and that includes coaches
Pendlebury says the best players in the game like Nick Daicos (pictured) have nowhere to go or live normal lives – earning extra money as a result
“I feel like if you’re a good player in the AFL for a long period of time you need to reward these guys because we don’t want rugby, cricket, all these sports to catch up with how much they pay their best players because then we lose children to that sport.
‘That’s what I think. I get shot – ‘players are greedy, blah, blah’.”
AFL football players currently receive 28 percent of the league’s revenue and Pendlebury believes that’s not enough.
In conversation with Giddey, Pendlebury compared the situation in the AFL to what is happening in the NBA.
“In the NBA, you have 51 percent of the revenue of what you bring in. We are 28 percent of sales,” he said.
Pendlebury thinks the AFL could take a leaf out of the NBA’s book when it comes to contracts, and insists shorter contracts should be made mandatory.
“Guys can sign contracts for 10 years, which I think is ridiculous,” he said.
“To get a good player, it’s like, ‘We have to offer him nine years. It’s like this will kill your (salary) limit.
Players currently receive 28 percent of AFL revenue, and Pendlebury believes that’s not enough and that footy should be more like the NBA – which gives players 51 percent (pictured, Richmond superstar Dustin Martin)
“In AFL, the guy who ranks 30th in the league can make the most money, way more than everyone else because you traded for him.
“The way their (NBA) contracts are structured — it’s based on rewards. Certainly levels you can get to when you’ve made (All-NBA) first team, second team, stuff like that.
“I think all first-rounders should sign four-year contracts, otherwise after two years they will say: ‘I just want to go home.'”
