Oregon State Basketball Coach Pays Significant Buyout To Leave Program Because Of Lack Of NIL Funds, Athletic Director Pushes Back

Oregon State basketball assistant Tim Shelton is paying $50,000 to leave the program for another opportunity, tentatively at Colorado State. It comes as a huge surprise.

Tim Shelton (Image courtesy: Oregon State Athletics)

Tim's father, the late Lonnie Shelton, is one of the best basketball players in Beavers history and went on to play a decade in the NBA.

There is a family tie to the program that Tim joined in May of 2022 and he loved every minute.

My experience was great, from the minute I got here. I thought it was a perfect fit, and it still feels that way, from a locker room and an office standpoint. If you watched practice every single day, you would see the growth, you'd see the intention Coach (Wayne Tinkle) allowed me to do a lot. It was great. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Shelton signed a two-year contract with Oregon State worth $205,008 per year. He must now pay $50,000 back to the program to take a job at another school.

Shelton loved his experience with the Beavers and is paying a 25% (ish) of his salary to leave before his contract is up. So why is he leaving at all?

Money.

Time Shelton is leaving Oregon State because of money.

Just not his money. Name, Image and Likeness money. Or, rather, a lack thereof.

Is Oregon State NIL broke? (Photos by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Shelton was the team's third assistant on the Beavers staff and spent a lot of his time on the recruiting trail trying to get top talent to play in Corvallis. He felt as though he was at too great of a disadvantage.

Oregon State lacks NIL funds in terms of retention.

Getting the players on campus isn't necessarily the issue, Shelton told The Oregonian. It's keeping them on the roster for four years — even two years — once they're there.

You're trying to make yourself more aware of how to be a successful recruiter and how to retain your talent. My biggest fear is that the guys here don't feel like we have enough resources to keep them
We didn't get those kids because of money, but we need to be able to retain them.

Shelton understands that Oregon State is never going to be able to compete with an Arizona, Washington or Oregon in terms of finances. He's okay with that.

But we can't be last in those resources. When it came down to my decision, I was worried about that.

Although Shelton is leaving Corvallis for a program that he feels is better equipped in the NIL department, he does not think that the Beavers will always be in this spot. He also has the awareness to recognize that it may not even be as bad as he is saying.

With that said, though, Shelton needs to be able to keep up and doesn't feel as though that is possible at Oregon State. As a result, he's out.

Athletic director Scott Barnes wishes Shelton well moving forward. However, he took some issue with the statements made about NIL and disagrees.

We disagree with his sentiments regarding NIL as it pertains to Oregon State and the ongoing efforts being made in this space. We continue to retain the vast majority of our student-athletes and provide multiple opportunities for education, understanding and connectivity to NIL opportunities. also have ongoing dialogue with State Legislators and the NCAA regarding NIL and how it is executed, and we will do it the right way, the Beaver Way, to benefit our student-athletes now and in the long term in every possible way.

Barnes' disagreement is to be expected, but at the end of the day, his men's basketball program is losing its third assistant, who has family ties to the program, because of NIL concerns. That certainly doesn't sound like a good thing.