SIU Athletics announced they would opt in to revenue sharing with their student-athletes on Wednesday.  Athletic Director shared a letter with the fans:

Dear Saluki Fans,

First off, thank you. Your passion, energy, and love for Saluki Athletics are what make this community so special. Whether you’re cheering from the stands, supporting from afar, or helping to spread Saluki pride, you are the heart of what we do.

I want to take a moment to talk about some big changes happening in college sports that will also impact SIU. You may have seen news about the House v. NCAA settlement – it’s a major shift that will allow schools to directly share revenue with student-athletes for the first time in history.

At SIU, like most of our Missouri Valley Conference peers, we plan to opt-in to this new model. We believe it’s the right step for our student-athletes and our programs as we move into this new era. It’s an opportunity to support our athletes in new ways and to stay competitive in a changing landscape.

But here’s the honest part: this comes with a cost.

The dollars that will now go toward revenue sharing with student-athletes will come from our existing budgets. Unlike some larger schools, we don’t have unlimited resources. This will stretch us financially and require some tough decisions along the way.

The solution? We need to grow.

To continue building winning teams and providing the best possible experience for our student-athletes, we need to increase revenue-through ticket sales, donations, sponsorships, and support for the Saluki Athletic Scholarship Fund. The more we can generate, the more we can invest back into our programs and into our student-athletes, giving them the chance to succeed at the highest levels.

This is a turning point for SIU Athletics. We’re proud to embrace this challenge, but we can’t do it alone. We need Saluki Nation with us. Every ticket bought, every gift given, every show of support matters now more than ever.

Thank you for always standing with us. Together, we can keep moving Saluki Athletics forward.

Go Dawgs!
Tim Leonard
Director of Athletics
Southern Illinois University