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United Football League co-owner Mike Repole has established himself as St. John’s’ top NIL booster, but in an interview with Front Office Sports, he joked that he may have to take extreme measures if his investment in the men’s basketball program doesn’t pay off in the near future.
“I told Rick, with the team we got this year, I might coach the team the year after if we can’t get this team to the Final Four,” Repole told FOS editor-in-chief Dan Roberts. “I could save money on his salary, maybe get another player.”
The two men have known each other for more than 20 years through the horse ownership community, and Pitino’s hiring in 2023 brought Repole back into the fold at St. John’s after he publicly fell out with the school four years before.
“Rick has got more energy and passion at 74 than most people have at 34,” Repole said. “He’s just the greatest.”
In 2024, Repole committed a seven-figure sum to NIL deals for St. John’s athletes. This March, the university announced Repole’s participation in a matching program in which he would give $100,000 for every 100 donors to the Red Storm Legacy Investment Fund, an initiative set up to boost the revenue-sharing capabilities of St. John’s.
Asked about his contributions to the school’s athletics budget, Repole did not specify whether he was increasing his financial commitment.
“It’s a lot,” Repole said. “You know why? Because it changes every day.”
Repole also discussed St. John’s increasing its slate of games at Madison Square Garden. The Red Storm will play 15 home games there this season including two exhibitions, the most since at least 1968, in addition to any games they play in the Big East Tournament.
St. John’s will play just six times at Carnesecca Arena, the 5,260-seat venue on its campus in Queens.
“Watching Madison Square Garden packed with 18,500 fans is so exciting,” Repole said. “When St. John’s or the Knicks are winning at Madison Square Garden man, it’s a special place.”
“I’m always gonna be Mike from Queens,” Repole added. “St. John’s is the school that I attained my 2.2 grade point average and my five-year degree in sports management.”
The Big East is among the few conferences that hasn’t yet implemented a rule barring players who previously signed professional contracts from returning to play in college. All four power conferences have enacted policies to that effect, and the Protect College Sports Act would solidify them if enacted.
Repole said the conference and college athletics as a whole should look to restore order to a system that was long unfair to players.
“It was so one-sided for 40 years, players playing for a scholarship, and they should’ve been paid,” Repole said. “And now the last three years it’s just swung 100% the other way.”
Repole lamented that those outside the top 10 of the NBA Draft pool may be better served financially by returning to college, and proposed changes such as multiyear commitments between players and programs and limits on how many times a player can transfer.
“Do I think players should get paid? Yes,” Repole said. “Do I think that there should be some boundaries and rules and regulations? Yes.”
