On the eve of the Oklahoma Sooners' 2025 season opener on Friday evening, news broke that OU head coach Brent Venables took a $1 million pay cut so that money could go toward the Sooners' revenue share, which is how student-athletes now get paid.
USA Today first reported the news, but the only word from Venables or OU at the time was a statement from the university that said, "It was initiated by Coach Venables as a one-time give-back to contribute to the department's revenue-sharing efforts."
Finally, Saturday night after the Sooners beat Illinois State 35-3, Venables was asked and explained why he made the gesture and also admitted he didn't know how the information got out.