Tax Returns Reveal Mark Emmert, Coach K Paydays and NCAA Legal Fees

During the fiscal year ending in 2021, the NCAA spent millions of dollars on two less-than-successful investments: its legal efforts and its president, Mark Emmert.

The governing body paid Emmert a total of $2.99 million in 2020, according to new tax filings provided to Front Office Sports. That’s up 3% from the previous year.

• The widely criticized Emmert will step down by the end of June 2023.
• The NCAA paid almost $52.5 million in legal fees, less than the $68 million it reported in 2019-20.
• Of course, $52.5 million is still a hefty price tag in the year that it lost the Supreme Court case NCAA v. Alston 9-0. The opinion found the NCAA is subject to antitrust scrutiny.

The NCAA spent $470,000 in lobbying as its interim NIL policy went into effect without a federal NIL law — something officials hoped to pass. The number is, however, about $30,000 less than the previous year. 

The filings also showed total revenues of $1.1 billion and media rights revenues of $915.8 million — similar to those reported in its previously released financial statements.

Coach K’s Paycheck

Emmert wasn’t the only college sports official whose salary was revealed in 2020-21 tax returns.

Duke University’s forms, which Front Office Sports obtained, revealed that former men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski earned about $12.5 million, with total compensation topping $13.7 million.

USA Today first reported the findings for Coach K and the NCAA.