By David Jones, Florida Today

DESTIN, Fla. -- After battling the agent issue this time last year, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is proposing that league coaches pay players on the 70-member travel squads $300 each, per game.

The proposal made to the other 11 Southeastern Conference coaches during the SEC spring meetings Wednesday was also signed by Alabama's Nick Saban, Florida's Will Muschamp, Derek Dooley of Tennessee, Les Miles of LSU, Ole Miss' Houston Nutt and Mississippi State's Dan Mullen.

"I presented a proposal that we give our football players $300 a game for game expense that they could give it to their parents for travel, lodging, meals. Maybe they could take their girlfriend out Sunday night or Saturday night and so forth. A bunch of us coaches felt so strongly about it that we would be willing to pay it -- 70 guys, 300 bucks a game,'' Spurrier explained. "That's only $21,000 a game. I doubt it will get passed, but as coaches in the SEC, we make all the money, as do universities, television, and we need to get more to our players. That was just something that we need to get out there. Seven of the coaches said they would be willing to pay it.''

Spurrier said coaches "all make so much money'' and wanted to give some back to the athletes."It's under $300,000 if you play 14 games. For what us coaches are making now, we'd all love to do that,'' Spurrier said.

Many of the SEC coaches make well over $2 million a season.

"I just wish there was a way to give our players a piece of the pie,'' Spurrier said. "It's so huge right now. As you know, 50 years ago, there wasn't any kind of money and the players got full scholarships. Now, they're still getting full scholarships and the money is in the millions. I don't know how to get it done. Hopefully there's a way to get our guys that play football a little piece of the pie.''

Added Spurrier: "Maybe basketball wants to do this. But they bring in all the money; (the athletes are) the performers. I hope something like that will happen in the next few years, just get more money to all the players. . . . Not all schools could do that and not all coaches could pay it. But that's what we're talking about -- just let us coaches pay it. But, obviously, it can't go all over the country so there would be a difference between the big schools and the average-size schools.''

The "proposal'' isn't being taken seriously by the league, however.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive did say earlier at the meetings that he's given strong consideration to backing an idea to give players a scholarship that covers more of the cost of attending college besides just room, board and tuition.

"I've been thinking about the full cost for attendance issue for some time and whether or not, what I would like to see is a dialogue nationally whether or not we should go to the full cost of attendance as defined by each institution rather than just the current scholarship.''

Added Slive, "I like the concept of full cost of attendance.''

The Big Ten is pondering a similar idea.

Spurrier's proposal, however, has no chance at being seriously considered.

"We want to start a very open dialogue about how to have some of those players, who make such a great contribution on Saturdays, who are good students, good people, that are really having hardship even under full grant-in-aid situations, be able to get them some money,'' Miles said. "That really is the issue. I think Steve Spurrier makes a good point with the proposal. In the actual workings, I think it's flawed. But I'm for starting that dialogue. It opens the door.''

Slive called Spurrier's idea, "A generous gesture. . . . The bottom line was that they support, as coaches, the concept of full cost of attendance."