🏅 "Professor Prime" gives NIL Collectives a Failing Grade...

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Hey there,

NIL news is like Taylor Swift NFL content – it’s basically endless. Lucky for you, we’re not dwelling on lyrics – we’re sorting through the news and giving you the cold, hard, facts. We’ve got a legal-heavy edition today, but it’s one of the most important in a while. Keep reading to see how some courts are changing college sports forever.

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KICK-OFF

Senators Introduce NCAA Accountability Bill

In light of the recent investigation into potential NIL violations at Tennessee, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) have reintroduced a piece of legislation to Congress with the intention of holding the NCAA responsible for how they conduct violation investigations.

Named the NCAA Accountability Act, the bill accomplishes two things: First, it would speed up the NCAA’s investigation timelines, requiring the investigation be complete within a year from when it begins. Secondly, it would give the U.S. Department of Justice the authority to remove any person from the NCAA’s board of governors, as well as fine them up to $15M for abusing their power.  

“The NCAA’s history of backroom deliberations that produce unfair punishments for athletes, coaches, and universities has gone on long enough,” said Sen. Blackburn of the bill. (More)

“Professor Prime” Gives NIL Collectives an F

Deion Sanders – informally known around Boulder as “Coach Prime” – has been going by a different name nowadays… “Professor Prime.” Yes, it’s real: Sanders is actually a visiting professor at Colorado this semester, giving occasional lectures and taking questions in a class entitled “Prime Time: Public Performance and Leadership.”

During one of his classes, he dropped a nugget on NIL that may shock some fans. After asking how many of his players have been in national commercials, he differentiated that version of NIL – getting endorsement deals – from what has become the NIL collective-driven nature of the current landscape.   

“[Endorsement deals] is what it’s supposed to be, but it’s collectives and that’s where it went wrong.” (More)

College Sports’ Fate may be Decided in USC Ruling

A recent NLRB ruling decided that Dartmouth’s basketball team were indeed employees of the institution – we told you about that earlier this week. What could prove even more important, though, is the current NLRB employment trial involving USC.

The NLRB is arguing that USC, the NCAA and (now defunct) PAC-12 conference are joint employers of athletes. The last two entities – the NCAA and conference – involve public institutions as well. In short, the NLRB winning the USC case would all but open the floodgates for athletes at all institutions – private and public – to be considered employees.

Dartmouth was the first domino to drop, but USC may be the biggest one. With law experts predicting a favorable ruling for the NLRB, it feels very likely that student-athletes will be officially recognized as employees soon. (More)

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BEST PRACTICES

What Does NIL Recruitment Actually Look Like?

We all know NIL recruitment happens, but very few times are we given a look into the actual conversations between coaches and players. Tulsa Head Coach Kevin Wilson gave us just that when he shared the transcript of a text conversation with the media.

In a world where we possess very little examples of how these conversations work, Wilson’s conversation provides a little insight (infused with some humor, too) into how these conversations take place across the country.

At the same time, it may rub some the wrong way — not only Wilson’s potentially callous response, but the openness that both parties are speaking about NIL with. The clip shows how, in so many ways, college sports has truly become professionalized, and how the language of negotiation has evolved.

DOWN TO BUSINESS

South Carolina wants “In-House” Collectives

In-state rivals Clemson and University of South Carolina are putting their differences aside to get an NIL bill passed in their state legislature. The bill would allow for all South Carolina schools to bring their NIL collectives in-house, eliminating the somewhat awkward relationship that currently exists between the two entities.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, an NIL critic historically, seems to have turned a new leaf. He and South Carolina coach Shane Beamer played an active role in getting the bill drafted.

“We have been limited in our NIL involvement through the ever-changing guidance from the NCAA,” said Swinney, “And that has left our student-athletes trying to figure much of this out on their own, navigating complex NIL opportunities without trained guidance and direction from those who are eager to assist them.” (More)

• Could the SEC and Big Ten create their own playoff system, or even leave the NCAA entirely? It’s not likely, but it’s also not out of the question. Their new alliance has the everyone guessing what could happen as the chasm between the conferences and NCAA widens.

• Players at the Senior Bowl – a massively important event for NFL draft hopefuls – were interviewed about NIL, and gave mixed responses. “I’ve been in two locker rooms where it’s never been an issue,” said South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler. UCLA Edge disagreed vehemently: “In my opinion, it’s ruined college football.”

COLLECTIVE 101

The Collective Association offers a Helping Hand

The Collective Association (TCA) has made it clear that they would like to help the Big Ten/SEC advisory group that’s attempting to “fix” college sports. “Now [the attention] it’s conferences,” said the recently elected TCA president Russell White.

“The conferences are where so much of the power is, and they’ve given the NCAA opportunities,” he continued, “It’s clear by the announcement Friday that the SEC and Big Ten are just like, ‘OK, maybe we’ll just have to do it ourselves.’…We’re here to work with people. We know the conferences have a lot of the power and they’re realizing it’s maybe time to step in and do what they do.”

It's worth mentioning that TCA just held their first summit last week, where they elected a swath of SEC school representatives to leadership. (More)

• The University of Iowa is selling George Kittle jerseys in their NIL store to capitalize on the star tight end’s Super Bowl attention. The Hawkeyes in-state rival Iowa State Cyclones recently employed a similar strategy with QB Brock Purdy.

• Ole Miss’ Grove Collective helped organize an NIL deal to help student-athletes fight against the opioid epidemic in America. Partnering with HarborPath, six football players are spreading awareness on the dangers of drugs that could be laced with fentanyl.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Robert Dillingham

Meet Robert Dillingham, the standout player for Kentucky basketball whose performances on the court are accompanied by his off-court business acumen. With his impressive stats, Dillingham is making a case for the #1 draft pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft. Dillingham has a remarkable NIL valuation of $765K and lucrative partnerships with Kinlo and Shop Gld Jewelry.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Angel Reese bets Beats Headphones with new NIL partnership

♦️ The NCAA is making enemies with the schools it needs to be friends with

♦️ College sports is in the hands of the courts, not Congress

♦️ ‘Bama DB is making NIL T-Shirts for 2024 season

♦️ Crocs announces their new NIL roster for 2024

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Could Stanford ever become a top tier NIL school?

• Yes, their alumni base is one of the wealthiest in the country - 73%

• No, there will never be enough excitement around athletics - 27%