Gaudet steps down, cites NCAA salary cap

Assistant men's basketball coach Pete Gaudet called it quits on Friday, but only with the men's basketball team.

Gaudet will step down from his coaching position due to the salary restrictions which come with the post, he said.

As the restricted-earnings coach for the past three years, Gaudet has only been able to receive $16,000 annually for all of his basketball-related work.

"The restrictions have become basically impossible," Gaudet said. "It has become a distraction for my family and my staff. I will miss coaching [the team] and being on the floor, but the restriction is no longer attached to my name and my title."

The restricted-earnings position was created during the 1991-92 school year as a cost-cutting effort by NCAA schools.

"The Association as a whole was looking at ways to keep down the expenses of intercollegiate athletics," said Kathryn Reith, NCAA director of public information. "The largest budget item in any NCAA-member school in the athletic department is the salary item. They looked to tighter limits in the number of coaches for just about all sports."

While the restricted-earnings position was intended to cut costs, it has also affected several coaches, like Gaudet, who have found the financial limitation of $16,000 per year too strict.

Some of these coaches are fighting the restrictions in court. Gaudet cited a preliminary hearing in favor of coaches on Tuesday and said that a final ruling will be made on Friday.