Connect with us
https://yoursportsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/call-to-1.png

NIL

'Chicago P.D.'

The newest member of Intelligence is getting a first in the Wednesday, April 23, episode of Chicago P.D. In “Name Image Likeness,” Cook (Toya Turner), who joined the unit earlier this season, works her first CI (confidential informant) during a vicious robbery-homicide case involving a star college athlete. When it comes to her approach with the […]

Published

on

'Chicago P.D.'

The newest member of Intelligence is getting a first in the Wednesday, April 23, episode of Chicago P.D.

In “Name Image Likeness,” Cook (Toya Turner), who joined the unit earlier this season, works her first CI (confidential informant) during a vicious robbery-homicide case involving a star college athlete.

When it comes to her approach with the CI, Cook “tries to play things close to the vest with her,” Turner tells TV Insider. “She tries to just make it be about the work, but then it starts to get more personal where she’s willing to put herself on the line for her CI. And of course it doesn’t go well.”

What’s challenging the team the most with this case is the high-profile nature of the athlete involved and being questioned. “We don’t agree on how to approach it. If you have the Steph Curry committing a crime, what do you do? I feel like Cook doesn’t give a damn. I know Platt [Amy Morton] doesn’t give a damn. Voight [Jason Beghe] doesn’t either,” says Turner. “But it seems like Atwater [Laroyce Hawkins] and Ruzek [Patrick John Flueger] had this thing, ‘Well, he’s a basketball legend,’ you know what I mean? So I think it causes us to not be clear on how we want to approach the situation.”

The season is building to the finale, which will include Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Ruzek’s long-awaited wedding. “She looks beautiful. I cried. There’s going to be some new dynamics with relationships within the unit going on, and the cake was great,” Turner previews.

Executive producer Gwen Sigan previously told us in January, “To get to see the two of them finally tie the knot after all this time and do something special and that feels a lot like them is the goal.”

What are you hoping to see in this next Cook-centric episode and in the season finale Burzek wedding? Let us know in the comments section below.

Chicago P.D., Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC

More Headlines:

NIL

One College Football Coach Caught in NIL Chaos Supports Trump’s Efforts for Reform

Tony Sanchez began his second season as head football coach at New Mexico State University this week, hoping two important goals are accomplished: a successful campaign for his Aggies and a measure of stability amid the chaos sweeping college sports due to NIL deals and multiple transfer portals. As the leader of a mid-major program, […]

Published

on


Tony Sanchez began his second season as head football coach at New Mexico State University this week, hoping two important goals are accomplished: a successful campaign for his Aggies and a measure of stability amid the chaos sweeping college sports due to NIL deals and multiple transfer portals.

As the leader of a mid-major program, Mr. Sanchez faces the constant challenge of seeing his top talent poached by wealthier, higher-profile schools, while simultaneously hunting for overlooked players to fill those gaps. With money now at the center of everything with little regulation on how it’s distributed, Mr. Sanchez is among those supporting President Trump’s recent executive order aiming to limit NIL deals.

“I 100 percent believe in what he’s doing,” Mr. Sanchez told the New York Sun. “He might be the only person that can actually do something to at least settle things down. Right now, the way the rules are changing at the pace that they’re changing, it doesn’t make sense.”

According to On3 NIL valuations, Arch Manning will earn $6.8 million to quarterback the Texas Longhorns this season, while Carson Beck will be paid $4.3 million to be the quarterback at Miami. Jeremiah Smith, a wide receiver at Ohio State, has a $4.2 million valuation. Logan Fife, who previously played at Fresno State and Montano, will be the NMSU quarterback this year. His NIL valuation is estimated at $50,000, sources told the Sun.

Players at Power 4 schools commonly earn seven figure deals. Mid-major schools normally don’t have those resources, which is why players are looking to impress enough to move up a richer deal. Mr. Sanchez, like other coaches around the nation, can deal with that. But the uncapped amount schools can offer backup players combined with transfer portals in the winter and spring, has created an unfair and unsustainable climate that Ms. Sanchez hopes President Trump’s influence can correct.

“We’re never going to have what Texas is giving you,” Mr. Sanchez said. “But at some point, there’s got to be a cap. If there’s no cap, there’s no parity at any level. Bigger schools can take some of your better players to be their second or third string players and pay them a handsome amount of money. For a kid who has never had anything, he sacrifices his opportunity to play for dollars. You can’t blame a kid for that. But at the same time what does it do to the quality of the game? And it’s so nonsensical that we have two transfer portals. Who does that? The NFL doesn’t do that with free agency. It doesn’t make sense.”

In signing the executive order, Mr. Trump called the current NIL landscape an “out-of-control, rudderless system.” It seeks to ban “third-party, pay-for-play, payments to collegiate athletes,” while allowing them to earn income from brand endorsement deals. It also seeks to preserve “scholarships and collegiate athletic opportunities in women’s and non-revenue sports.”

Mr. Trump also wants the National Labor Relations Board to clarify initiatives to make college athletes university employees and form labor unions.

Many smaller schools like New Mexico State, which competes in Conference USA, have formed NIL collectives which seek donations from alumni and their local communities to offer endorsement deals to athletes.

Coaches who once used a four-year educational experience and college lifestyle to recruit players, now lead with dollars and the potential for more dollars. “If you’re going to find a way to have success in this day and age at a non-Power 4 school, you have to change your approach,” Mr. Sanchez said. “We never want anybody to leave, but we’ve got 17 former players at Power 4 schools making $7 million. We had an offensive lineman go to Kentucky for $1.5 million. We tell them that story. We tell them these are the opportunities you have coming to New Mexico State. It takes the BS out of the room. You’ve ripped the Band-Aid off and it’s an open conversation.”

Mr. Sanchez, who served as the head coach at Nevada-Las Vegas from 2014 to 2019, said his staff was better prepared for this season after replacing Jerry Kill at NMSU before the start of the 2024 campaign where the Aggies went 3-9.  “We lost a lot of players before I got the job last year, and then we lost a lot of players after the spring,” he said. “This year we had an idea what might happen, and we planned for it.  We were way more prepared. I think we have a chance to have a pretty good team.”

Meanwhile, he hopes Mr. Trump’s executive order can stabilize the NIL landscape.  “We have the second most viewed sport behind the NFL,” he said. “We have a great product. Let’s keep it that way.”



Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Men’s Soccer Dedicates Coaches Award in Memory of Mike McIlwain

Story Links COLLEGE PARK, MD — Maryland men’s soccer head coach Sasho Cirovski has dedicated the team’s annual Coaches Award in honor of former player Mike McIlwain. McIlwain passed away on June 6 after a courageous battle with cancer. “It is my distinct honor to dedicate our Coaches Award in memory of Mike […]

Published

on


COLLEGE PARK, MD — Maryland men’s soccer head coach Sasho Cirovski has dedicated the team’s annual Coaches Award in honor of former player Mike McIlwain. McIlwain passed away on June 6 after a courageous battle with cancer.

“It is my distinct honor to dedicate our Coaches Award in memory of Mike McIlwain.”, said head coach Sasho Cirovski. “Mike was one of the very first student-athletes I recruited, and he played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for our early success here at Maryland. He exemplified professionalism in everything he did and was the ultimate teammate. Mike carried that same passion and dedication into his professional life, selflessly serving his patients and giving back to his community. Above all, he was a devoted husband and father who always put his family first. There is no one more deserving of this recognition. Mike’s legacy will forever be woven into the fabric of this program.”

McIlwain played at Maryland from 1994-97, and was a member of the 1996 team that won the first ACC championship under coach Cirovski. Over his four years in College Park, McIlwain played in 67 games and made 16 starts. He finished his career with 13 goals and 10 assists, and helped lead the Terrapins to four consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. Maryland was the only program in the nation during that four-year span that reached the Sweet 16 every year. The team’s 16 wins during the 1997 were the most in school history at the time.

Following his time at Maryland, McIlwain went to graduate school at the University of Florida to study dentistry. He brought the same hard work and dedication he learned on the soccer pitch to his next career, becoming a Diplomate and Fellow of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. For over 20 years Mike dedicated himself to his patients and his community, offering outstanding care and supporting families. He dedicated himself to many outstanding organizations, including donating his time and expertise to the Tampa Bay Cleft and Craniofacial Center.

Mike’s love for soccer continued after his playing days, as a youth coach for Tampa Bay United. He loved mentoring young athletes, and strived to develop the same love for the game that he learned as a youth player. 

Mike McIlwain is survived by his loving wife Cristina Yarnoz McIlwain, their three children: Ella, Grayson, and Lucia. He will be remembered for his tireless dedication to his family and his community.



Link

Continue Reading

NIL

Wesley Mallette Named Deputy AD/CMO for Gamecock Athletics

Wesley Mallette has been named Deputy Athletics Director/Chief Marketing Officer for Gamecock Athletics, University of South Carolina Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati announced today. Mallette comes to South Carolina from the University of California, Riverside, where he has most recently been serving as the school’s athletics director. “On behalf of our entire athletics department we are […]

Published

on

Wesley Mallette Named Deputy AD/CMO for Gamecock Athletics

Wesley Mallette has been named Deputy Athletics Director/Chief Marketing Officer for Gamecock Athletics, University of South Carolina Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati announced today. Mallette comes to South Carolina from the University of California, Riverside, where he has most recently been serving as the school’s athletics director.

“On behalf of our entire athletics department we are thrilled to welcome Wes and his family to South Carolina,” said Donati. “We identified a tremendous pool of traditional and non-traditional candidates for this position and he quickly rose to the top of the list. Wes brings a wealth of energy and experience, having touched every aspect of an athletics program. Particularly, his experience in external relations from marketing, branding, content creation, communications and the NIL space will be critical as we continue to embrace a new landscape across college athletics. He will be a great addition to our leadership team, our athletics department, to our university and to the city of Columbia, and we look forward to the positive impact he will have with Gamecock student-athletes,” added Donati.

Mallette has been part of the UC Riverside staff since 2018 and has served as the Highlanders athletics director since 2021. Under his leadership, UCR Athletics survived its biggest crisis in the school’s 25-year history at the Division I level, as the entire 17-sport department was saved from being eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic in his first year at the helm. Since that time, Mallette witnessed several of the Highlander teams perform at historically high levels on both the fields of competition and in the classroom.

Highlighting his time as AD, Mallette helped elevate the UCR Athletics brand by securing a new shoe and apparel deal with Nike/BSN SPORTS. During his tenure, UCR Athletics experienced its best fundraising year ever in 2024-25 and tallied four of its top five fundraising years in more than a decade. His leadership with the men’s basketball program earned him distinction as one of the nation’s top 100 most influential people in men’s college basketball by Silver Waves Media in both 2023 and 2024

Prior to being named AD, Mallette held the role of Chief of Staff and Senior Associate AD for External Affairs for UCR Athletics, where he was responsible for managing and changing the brand’s narrative. He served as the primary liaison between the Athletics Director and all fundraising activities and revenue operations and supervised all Strategic Communications, Digital and Emerging Media, Marketing and External Relations, Community and Fan Engagement, Ticket Sales and Operations and Sponsorships. He also led Athletics through a comprehensive visual identification brand redesign.

“I am truly honored to join the University of South Carolina and Gamecock Athletics,” said Mallette. “The chance to work alongside such an incredibly talented group of staff, coaches, student-athletes, and campus leaders is a dream come true. I would like to thank AD Jeremiah Donati for this opportunity and the department for being so welcoming to me and my family. I am excited to help grow the Gamecock Athletics brand and build on the rich tradition, competitive excellence, and great student-athlete experience that makes South Carolina so special.”

Before joining UC Riverside, Mallette served as Associate AD for Strategic Communications with Cal Athletics (UC Berkeley) where he oversaw all internal and external strategic communications and brand marketing efforts while guiding Cal Athletics through multiple crises and issues. Following three successful years with the Golden Bears, he went on to serve as VP of Communications for Pac-12 Networks.

For more than two decades, Mallette has created and conducted media/brand development trainings entitled “Building & Protecting Your Brand in the Digital Age,” for thousands of high school, college, Olympic, and professional athletes across the country. Based on a custom curriculum he created, developed, and adapted accordingly, this specialized, interactive workshop is designed to successfully provide traditional and social media and brand development training for athletes at all levels.

Prior to his career in collegiate and professional athletics, Mallette spent more than a decade in senior communications and marketing roles with MTV Networks, L Brands Inc.’s Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works, Black Entertainment Television, Inc. (BET), and an advertising agency.

Mallette holds a B.A. in Communications from James Madison University, where he was a two-sport Division I student-athlete in football and track and field. He earned his M.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Mallette is married to the former Melody Stockwell. He has a son, Houston, who is a graduate basketball student-athlete at Alabama following a stellar career at Pepperdine, where he was a three-time All-WCC selection and two-time team captain, and a daughter, Soledad, who is a sophomore basketball student-athlete at Corona Centennial High School in Southern California.

What they are saying about Mallette:

“Wesley Mallette is a person who I have known for many years. He has a broad-based understanding of intercollegiate athletics in the past as well into the future. Wesley has a creative mind that will make an incredible impact on the University of South Carolina, their athletics department, their fans, and their student-athletes. Jeremiah made a great hire with Wesley.”
— Greg Byrne, Director of Athletics, University of Alabama

“Wes Mallette has been an extraordinary leader within The Big West and across college athletics. His vision, energy, and relentless commitment to student-athletes have left a lasting mark on UC Riverside and our conference. Wes brings passion, creativity, and integrity to everything he does — and while we will miss him greatly, South Carolina is gaining a true star. We wish him nothing but success as he takes on this new and exciting opportunity.”
— Dan Butterly, Commissioner, The Big West Conference

“South Carolina has scored big with their hire of Wes Mallette! He is a complete professional who will bring innovative and intentional thinking and action to the athletic department and the University. He’s tailor made for today’s environment with a business mindset, rooted in storytelling and communications, with the student athlete etched in his heart. Wes helps to make everyone around him better, with an uncommon humility and selflessness. He’ll be a major contributor to South Carolina’s continued success and accession in the SEC and nationally. I’m so excited for the Gamecocks and Wes, and can’t wait to watch from afar.”
— Sandy Barbour, Interim Athletics Director, Utah State (Former Director of Athletics for Penn State University, University of California, Berkeley, and Tulane University)

“Wes Mallette is one of the best executives I’ve ever been around in collegiate athletics. He’s insanely smart, innovative, passionate, and relentless in his pursuit of finding optimal outcomes and opportunities for his staff, coaches, fellow administrators, and — most importantly— the student-athletes themselves. Anyone who has spent time with Wes knows he’s a special person and leader. This is one of the most significant hires I’ve seen in a long time.”
— Adam Stanco, VP of Content for 247Sports/CBS Sports

“I’ve known Wes for over a decade and South Carolina has added a gem to its team. His leadership, vision and understanding of competition and community make him a perfect fit for the Gamecocks Athletics department. Most importantly, he’s a person you can trust to put student-athletes first in the new era of college athletics. He cares about people above everything. South Carolina is lucky to have him.”
— Mike Yam, NFL Network host

“Wes Mallette is an incredible leader, teammate, speaker, encourager, and best of all, he is a great dad. He was our Ted Lasso at UC Riverside, and I was incredibly fortunate to get the chance to have my first head coaching job with Wes as my AD. He sought me out, believed in me, and gave me a shot. He coached me and supported me every step of the way. What Wes did at UC Riverside was a lesson in sheer will to find excellence regardless of the circumstance and a belief that anything is possible. His skill set will help continue to energize and build South Carolina’s athletics program at an elite level.”
— Mike Magpayo, Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Fordham University

“Wes is the kind of leader who shows up for everyone – on the field, in the stands, and behind the scenes. His industry knowledge and experience run deep, but it is his steady presence and genuine care for others that leave the biggest impact. People don’t just respect him, they trust him.”
— Paula Smith, Director of Athletics, University of California, Irvine

Continue Reading

NIL

Coaches race to master art of retention amid NIL, revenue sharing and transfer portal challenges

Associated Press Whether it was an ACC, SEC, Big Ten or Big 12 coach taking the podium at media days, one theme remained consistent: In an era where revenue sharing and NIL opportunities can swiftly steer athletes toward the transfer portal, programs across the country are racing to master the art of player retention. Its […]

Published

on


Associated Press

Whether it was an ACC, SEC, Big Ten or Big 12 coach taking the podium at media days, one theme remained consistent: In an era where revenue sharing and NIL opportunities can swiftly steer athletes toward the transfer portal, programs across the country are racing to master the art of player retention.

Its importance is clear to Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, who has seen all but five players from his 2023 recruiting class leave for different programs.

“Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught,” he said. “That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances, but you’d have to ask those guys.”

More than 3,000 Bowl Subdivision players reportedly entered the transfer portal this past spring, which would average out to about 22 players per team. For the Razorbacks, 10 starters will be back and one of them is senior defensive lineman Cam Ball. He has remained with Arkansas his entire career, a somewhat rare occurrence for an NFL hopeful these days.

“I’m just a loyal guy. I’m loyal to the state of Arkansas; Arkansas has been loyal to me,” Ball said.

Arkansas, like many schools, is also trying to scare up more money from donors as it faces the financial ramifications of the $2.8 billion House settlement; last fall, the athletic director said the school needed some $12 million more annually to “be in the NIL game from a football perspective.” Besides the money, the Razorbacks have to find talented players; Ball grew up in Atlanta, just barely within the regional footprint in which Pittman prefers to recruit.

“We have to go outside our state,” Pittman said. “In-state recruiting has changed over the last three or four years because of NIL. So you have to think about the talent — who it is versus what pay is expected. So that’s been a little bit more difficult in our state.”

Pittman isn’t the only coach who wants prospects to be familiar with what their college experience will look like before making any life-changing decisions. Florida coach Billy Napier paints a clear picture of life in Gainesville and the challenges and perks that come with it.

“We present our product in a way where we’re selling the degree, the alumni network, the Gator-made program, and you have to be up for the challenge of trying to get Florida back to where it’s been before,” he said. “And I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to keep it together.”

Florida’s 2023 recruiting class remains mostly intact, and from Napier’s perspective, hungrier than ever. Compared to other SEC teams, the Gators have had more success with retention. Napier doesn’t think it’s a coincidence.

“We told them when they came in, you know, look, it’s not going to be all sunshine and rainbows here. We’re in this thing for the long haul,” Napier said. “I think a lot of this is how you pitch it in recruiting. We’re going to continue to do that, and retention is more important than it’s ever been.”

Coaches scrambling to prevent transfers and maintain consistency isn’t exclusive to the SEC. The approval of the House settlement is a double-edged sword when it comes to retention, and Power Four schools and beyond are feeling the effects. Third-party NIL deals are no longer the only negotiation tactic schools need to worry about.

Complex contracts are becoming common and legal risks grow for athletes and programs alike as college football increasingly resembles the pros. Some deals are being negotiated solely by athletes as young as 18.

As a redshirt senior, Louisville linebacker TJ Quinn is used to the process.

“I wouldn’t say I was nervous (to negotiate) because this is my third year of having to do that,” Quinn said. “You’ve got to kind of stand your ground with what you feel like is your worth. If you’re comfortable with their offer, then sign. Then you have some guys that’ll leave and go to schools to get more money and stuff. That was never really like a big pusher for me, to go out and get more money because I feel like I’m in a good situation here at Louisville.”

Quinn’s loyalty could be the most convincing negotiation tactic of them all. While programs use revenue-share dollars to sway prospective transfers, coaches have begun to reward loyalty.

“To some degree, it’s capitalism that you get what you earn. So the guys that go out and play well are going to get more than the guys who haven’t proven it yet,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “Everybody on the team’s not going to make the same. Fair doesn’t always mean equal.”

But he also said the Mustangs are not going to add players “making a whole lot more than those guys who have already earned it here.”

“And I think that’s what helps us keep a good culture, is try to start with: Let’s retain first, and then whatever’s left, let’s go build the best team we can for those guys,” Lashlee said.

North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren doubled down.

“A guy that’s been on a team three years, that’s playing well and earned it on the field should make more than a guy coming in the door. I think that’s a proper way to do business,” Doeren said, though he warned that might not be the case across the board. “Right now, common sense is not prevailing in college football.”

___

AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard contributed to this report.

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football





Link

Continue Reading

NIL

How NIL money is impacting the G League and keeping ex-college basketball stars closer to their NBA dreams

The recent growth of NIL opportunities has been a major incentive for players to stay in college longer and work on their game before pursuing an NBA career. The trend is also providing benefits for players in the G League — the NBA’s North American-based developmental league. The extra money comes in handy, because although […]

Published

on


The recent growth of NIL opportunities has been a major incentive for players to stay in college longer and work on their game before pursuing an NBA career. The trend is also providing benefits for players in the G League — the NBA’s North American-based developmental league. The extra money comes in handy, because although some players get Exhibit 10 or two-way contracts, the standard G League salary is only roughly $43,000.

The average G League career is only two-and-a-half seasons, and one of the main reasons players leave before getting a shot in the NBA is that they are able to make significantly more money overseas. But sticking it out in the G League has paid off for some players, including Drew Timme. The former Gonzaga star played more than 40 G League games in the past two seasons. He then earned a call-up with the Nets at the end of the 2024-25 NBA regular season, played well against NBA competition (averaging 12.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in nine games) and earned a two-year contract with Brooklyn this summer.

“Obviously it’s no one’s first choice. But looking back on it, it definitely helped me a lot, and I really did need it,” Timme said of the G League. “It definitely helped me just work on the things I needed to work on to be able to get in the NBA. I don’t think it would have gone well if I didn’t get that. I really needed time to figure things out, and that’s what the G League is for. It’s there to help you get better and take that next step, and it definitely was instrumental for me.”

Jeff Aubry, the Executive Director of the G League players union (Next Gen Basketball Players Union), said the number of NBA players with G League experience keeps rising, which shows the value of investing in it to keep talent around. 

“Last year we had 79 call-ups. The year before we had 81,” Aubry said. “Those are the second and third most call-ups in the history of the league, and I think the trend is going to be pretty consistent… Right now, over half of NBA players have G League experience, between your three two-way players per team, assignment players — I think there were over 100 individual players assigned to the G League last season. The year before it was 90 something.”

One of the reasons why the numbers are rising, Aubry explained, is because making NIL money in college “gives guys the flexibility to hang around and explore their opportunities in the G League.”

Timme had multiple NIL deals in college, many revolving around his iconic mustache. Some deals were with local companies in Spokane and some were with major brands such as Beats by Dre and Pringles. The former Gonzaga star chose to not work on many NIL deals after he graduated because wanted to avoid distractions while trying to make it in the NBA. However, he was also in a good position because he started with an Exhibit 10 contract (a one-year, minimum salary deal) — although he did consider going overseas before signing with the Nets.

Timme benefited from playing for a high-profile college team, as did Armando Bacot who last year opened up about earning over $2 million through NIL deals at North Carolina. 

“Two million plus — but I’m saying that humbly, though,” Bacot said in the Run Your Race podcast. “But that speaks on a brand of Carolina…. because I’ve got life-changing money just in college playing basketball. Life-changing money.”

Student-athletes have the possibility of making a lot of money, but the cash won’t necessarily keep flowing after they graduate. Since Aubry sees this first hand, he decided to worked with Columbia University to figure out how players could retain the NIL value they had in the NCAA and create more opportunities for themselves as pros.

One of the students involved in the project was Carlos Fuentes, who brokered deals for his own teammates when he played for the University of Denver. Fuentes said a lot of the deals he worked on in college lasted only a few months or ended when the athlete graduated. 

“One of the main reasons why we were tackling this issue is because nobody has really paid attention to the NIL landscape after the NCAA,” he said. “Some of these players were earning, you know, $800,000, or even millions of dollars in college, but once they graduate and they go on to their professional careers, nobody really knows what happens with their NIL visibility and their marketability.”

Fuentes talked about March Madness as a huge marketing event, and also the support of alumni being invaluable because it often translates to money. Collectives, marketing departments and having games on national TV also help college athletes with their visibility. Fuentes’ final presentation highlighted that “G League players often navigate NIL with little institutional infrastructure — creating a steep drop-off in opportunity.”

Fuentes and his classmates suggested multiple strategies to help G League players. That includes using NIL brand portals like Opendorse, which features over 100,000 athletes — including some big names like Steph Curry — who are available for services such as birthday shoutouts, autographs, brand endorsements and appearances. Aubry said this could be particularly helpful for players to gain more visibility in their local communities. He has already reached out to a few companies to figure out the best way to get his players on the platforms. 

The marketplace suggestion goes hand-in-hand with another strategy: Educating G League players on growing their personal brand. Someone who has already mastered this area is G League forward Dakota Rivers, who plays for the Texas Legends and became an influencer during his time at Florida Gulf Coast. He currently has 171K subscribers on YouTube and 101K followers on Instagram.

As a college athlete, Rivers got to work with brands such as McDonald’s, Walmart, Crocs and Gatorade. These were not long-term deals so they didn’t follow him into his G League career after he went undrafted in 2024. However, his social media presence has helped him keep a steady income. 

“I will say thankfully I did have a presence on social media before I made the G League,” Rivers said. “I was still consistent with the money I was making even when I did graduate college because I was able to have a level of consistency with my Youtube channel and my Instagram and still make money that I can live off of.”

Aubry said Rivers is the perfect example of how athletes can create opportunities for themselves regardless of how long they stay in the G League. 

“I think he’s kind of the blueprint and he’s been doing it since college. Very similar content, very engaging, great personality,” Aubry said. “So I think that’s kind of the model I’d be looking at in terms of having players be more proactive about creating their socials, in a space where engagement is really going to drive the dollars.”

Aubry wants his players to be educated enough to take advantage of the current boom of NIL deals. 

“I feel like in the NCAA, things are kind of just put in front of them and given to them. And then they come to the G League and there’s nobody to give you anything,” he said. “You have to kind of figure it out if you’re gonna be able to leverage those kind of opportunities, you have to be very proactive in making them happen. So giving them the tools to kind of continue to build on their brand, whatever they established in college, I think is important. And then just further their education so that they have a deep understanding of the business they’re working in.”





Link

Continue Reading

NIL

College Athletes Face Financial Risks as NIL Deals and Direct Payments Grow

Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting what the White House called the “chaotic environment” around lucrative financial deals available to some college athletes, particularly in high-revenue sports like football and basketball. The order would limit some “third-party, pay-to-play payments,” the kind of deals that resulted in what former Alabama coach Nick […]

Published

on


Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting what the White House called the “chaotic environment” around lucrative financial deals available to some college athletes, particularly in high-revenue sports like football and basketball.

The order would limit some “third-party, pay-to-play payments,” the kind of deals that resulted in what former Alabama coach Nick Saban has called an “arms race” between colleges to woo top teenage prospects. The order does not limit the brand endorsements or licensing deals that can also come to these players.

The impact of the order remains to be seen. Still, it is the latest shift in an evolving landscape for student athletes navigating potentially lucrative financial benefits during their college careers.

An NCAA rule change in 2021 allowed college athletes to monetize their name, image and likeness (NIL) and profit from endorsements, subscriptions and licensing deals. Then, last month, a federal judge signed off on a $2.8 billion settlement of a lawsuit that, among other changes, allows schools to pay student athletes directly in addition to traditional tuition scholarships, including a share of revenue earned by the schools’ athletic departments (those changes went into effect July 1).

Related:Carson Group Claims Former CMO “Manufactured Evidence” For Lawsuit

Given how much money some power conferences make off their sports programs, many argue it’s only fair to let the athletes themselves benefit financially. For example, a December 2024 CNBC analysis of major universities found Ohio State University’s athletic department led the way with a $1.32 billion valuation and $280 million in revenue.

According to William Carter, a top NIL consultant and professor at the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business, 20% of Division I athletes have signed NIL deals, out of an estimated 190,000 student-athletes. And according to the On3 NIL Valuation, an index projecting the annual value for college and high school athletes, at least 50 (and likely more) athletes are running profits (including NIL earnings) above $1.5 million.

Of course, for every Arch Manning, DJ Lagway and Carson Beck making millions of dollars, thousands more D-I athletes across all sports are getting paid much lower figures, with some in less-popular sports like fencing, rowing and bowling making $1,000 or less, The New York Times has reported.

Yet financial advisors (including some former pro athletes) warn that many young athletes and their families are ill-prepared for the potential windfall and susceptible to the bad financial advice, shady business offers and sometimes outright financial fraud that often chases new money.

Related:HarbourVest Hires BlackRock Executive to Lead Wealth Business

Consider recent cases in the professional leagues. Baseball star Shohei Ohtani relied on his long-time interpreter and practice partner to handle some financial affairs, only to see him fraudulently tap the player’s bank accounts to pay off gambling debts. NBA player Dwight Howard was lured into a bogus investment opportunity to buy a women’s NBA team, losing millions.

Yet most professional leagues or player organizations have protective measures to help pros manage their money, including financial management classes, education programs and even vetted lists of financial advisors. 

College athletes are far less prepared, says Jon Hayes, a managing director and senior wealth advisor with MAI Capital Management, a Cleveland-based financial advisory firm with a long track record of working with professional athletes.

“They haven’t finished college yet. They haven’t sat in union seminars that talk about red flags to look out for and things to be aware of,” Hayes said. “They haven’t been in a pro locker room to have that veteran player say to them, ‘Hey, there’s this local guy that’s going to be waiting after every game and he’s going to try to get close to you and sell you on something.’”

Related:Deals & Moves: AmeriFlex Adds $280M California Team From Osaic

Hayes and other advisors worry that the combination of big money and young, often financially unsophisticated athletes, little institutional oversight and colleges wary of liability risk has created an environment that could cost aspiring pro players millions.

Some advisors even avoid working with these student athletes altogether. They are frustrated by navigating inexperienced clients through the dangers brewing in the space, says Mitch Smith, the president of life, high-net-worth, and executive benefits with EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants.

“It’s tough for them and for the professionals. It’s a beat-you-up kind of industry,” Smith said.

Fraud Follows New Money

Though top college athletes have long been popular, before 2021, there were strict NCAA guidelines on the players’ ability to monetize their NIL in endorsement deals or testimonials.

The NCAA considered changes after several states enacted their own NIL rules. In June 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in NCAA v. Alston that the NCAA’s financial restrictions on student-athletes’ “education-related benefits” violated antitrust law.

The following month, the NCAA suspended its ban on NIL deals. Whereas once athletes could only receive scholarships, housing and an education in return for their skills, now they can sign sponsorships and rake in funds raised by boosters. NIL tech company Opendorse projected the total NIL market to grow to $1.67 billion in 2024-2025 (from $917 million in 2021-2022).

But scams, fraud and bad advice often follow new money, and lawsuits are usually close behind.

Last month, Sports Illustrated reported that a lawsuit brought by former college quarterback Jaden Rashada against Florida Gators Head Coach Billy Napier, former staffer Marcus Castro-Walker, and wealthy Florida booster Hugh Hathcock could proceed.

According to Rashada, the defendants misled him with a promised $13.85 million NIL deal that led him to choose Florida instead of a less lucrative recruiting deal with the University of Miami Hurricanes. The multi-million dollar deal never came to pass, but Rashada had already dropped his Miami commitment.

Last year, Front Office Sports reported that several football players at the University of Tulsa accused the school’s coaches of promising their families tens of thousands of dollars in NIL payments, but they never received anything.

An NIL company co-founded by former NBA Star Kendrick Perkins was accused of preying on young athletes by offering upfront cash in exchange for portions of their future NIL deals, an agreement experts said was akin to a high-interest loan, according to an ESPN investigation.

The NIL opportunities (and risks) extend to the high school level, as football player T.A. Cunningham can attest. According to NBC News, Cunningham’s family moved to California and enrolled him in a high school there with the promise of a big payday when he entered college. But the NIL deals never came, and Cunningham wound up benched on his high school team.

A Need for Advice

Often, college athletes are the first in their family to accrue money so quickly and lack trusted advisors to steer them through the decision-making minefields. Smith said he has seen college athletes presented with phony endorsement deals or saddled with fraudulent contracts that are difficult to break.

 Jerry Sneed, a senior vice president and senior private wealth advisor with Procyon Partners, said the NIL reforms opened avenues for advisors to find potential clients. Some college football players make more as college athletes than they will as NFL rookies.

Sneed is a registered advisor with the NFL Players’ Association, the labor union representing the league’s athletes. He said college athletes are “overly protected” in college and have the desire to “be a brand, in a sense,” and that can make them vulnerable to too-good-to-be-true financial proposals.  

“It’d be perfect if they just stayed on campus, and anytime someone reached out to them, they went to their advisor. But these guys are all social media people,” he said. “You think it’s a good deal because you don’t know any better. That’s all it takes to lose a hundred grand or a million bucks.”

Most advisors say that professional sports leagues and players’ unions are more adept at educating young pro players about financial management and the risk of fraud (though as the Ohtani and Howard examples show, even the most celebrated players can become victims).

College athletes don’t have a union, and both their schools and the NCAA seem hesitant to take on that kind of responsibility because they fear liability exposure, according to Smith.

“Everyone’s afraid to jump in, but I feel like the liability of not doing it is way worse,” he said.

Hayes recalled speaking with a university provost about whether NIL athletes were prepared for the financial complications and potential fraud that follow their deals. The provost agreed more could be done, but questioned why the school would single out athletes for those initiatives when pre-med and pre-law students were also following potentially lucrative career paths.

That reasoning made no sense to Hayes. “The average career span in the NFL is three-and-a-half years,” he said. “The doctor or lawyer may go out and invest in something stupid and lose their money at age 28, but can work for another 30 or 40 years and recover. The pro athlete can’t.”

Smith said some schools will commit to a single financial training session for athletes, while others will try to align themselves with particular advisors, which gets “messy.” Smith said the NCAA needs to adopt some standardization around protecting the athletes’ financial interests through establishing a players’ union or group.

“These schools and the NCAA make a lot of money for them. To take a few percent across the board, to fund a program like that, and get a group of really good advisors” would benefit the players and the schools, he said.

According to Hayes, colleges have historically protected their athletes to the point of being “resistant” to running financial seminars or education forums for their college players, opting to shelter their athletes and keep fraudsters away.

“And the unfortunate consequence is by doing that, you’re not educating them,” he said. “You’re exposing them.”

Payments Beyond NIL Deals

Last August, the NCAA and a company called Teamworks launched NIL Assist, which helps student athletes weigh their NIL options. According to an NCAA spokesperson, the platform stems from transparency and disclosure rules the administration’s Division I Council approved last year to offer students more information about “the overall NIL landscape and trends in NIL agreements.”

In addition to a service provider registry and some educational materials, the platform includes a public-facing database with anonymized “NIL disclosure data” where college athletes can rate their experiences with registered individuals or services.

Further complicating issues, NCAA members approved changes to their rules to align with an agreement to settle an ongoing lawsuit arguing college athletes from before the 2021 changes are owed some compensation, according to Front Office Sports. Plaintiffs in the suit argued that broadcast revenue earned by the NCAA should be considered NIL revenue and shared with the athletes.

Former student athletes Grant House and Sedona Prince originally filed the suit in 2020, seeking damages and an injunction to stop the NCAA from enforcing anticompetitive restraints that stopped student players from getting NIL payments, according to a notice from the law firm Ropes & Gray. The suit became a class action in 2023.

The judge ordered the NCAA to pay almost $28 billion in damages over the next decade to former college athletes who played from 2016 up until the 2021 NIL changes, according to ESPN.

The settlement deal also means schools can pay their athletes directly, compensation above and beyond what they may earn from NIL deals. Schools start with a $20.5 million cap, which will increase yearly for the coming decade, not including scholarships.

The changes also try to limit college sports boosters—often alumni with both school pride and deep pockets—from paying favored athletes “de facto salaries” by funneling NIL money through third-party deals, ESPN reported.

Winston Justice, the CEO of $7 billion SageSpring Private Wealth and a nine-year NFL offensive lineman, said college players may be less susceptible to fraud than professionals. He said professionals are more emboldened to aggressively chase lucrative deals than students, who are more cautious.

Schools could also mandate that college athletes attend classes on financial management or avail themselves of other educational resources. “Whereas in the pro leagues, I guess you can, but not really,” he said. “It’s kind of up to them if they go to the NFLPA trainings or if they go take advantage of the educational assistance.”

Justice’s leading fear for NIL athletes isn’t fraud but taxes. He said that too many are not allocating money for future tax liabilities that could hit after they leave the programs. Sooner or later, he says, NIL money will stop.

“Then you can make the NFL or NBA, and those funds could pay for the taxes, but what if you don’t make it?” he asked. “Or what if you go to Canada and they don’t pay you as much?”

What Comes Next?

The Wall Street Journal first reported that Trump was moved to sign an executive order related to college sports after a conversation with former Alabama football coach Nick Saban in early May. Saban was allegedly concerned about schools entering a financial “arms race” to lure athletes, and the damage it would cause college sports programs.

In a fact sheet detailing last week’s order, the White House claimed the Supreme Court ruling helped create a situation “that threatens the financial and structural viability of college athletics,” including lawsuits seeking to “tear down” the differences between college and pro sports.

According to the White House, the situation has turned what was “supposed to be legitimate, third-party NIL opportunities for players into pay-for-play bidding wars amongst university boosters,” with single teams spending as much as $40 million in one year.

“This dynamic also reduces competition and parity by creating an oligarchy of teams that can buy the best players—including the best players from less-wealthy programs at the end of each season, given the lack of restrictions on transferring teams each year,” the fact sheet read. “Without federal action to restore order, ongoing lawsuits and a patchwork of state NIL laws risk exploiting student-athletes and eroding the opportunities provided by collegiate sports.”

The order is vague on enforcement details; in it, Trump asks the Labor Secretary and National Labor Relations Board to “clarify” student-athletes’ status to “preserve non-revenue sports,” and directs the Attorney General and Federal Trade Commission to “take appropriate actions” to protect their rights and protect college athletics “from endless, debilitating antitrust and other legal actions.”

Regardless of how the order plays out in colleges and courtrooms in the months and years to come, the need for sound financial advice has only intensified for these young student-athletes, says Shawn Wooden, a financial advisor with Associated Financial Consultants and Investor Services and a former safety for the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears. After all, the schemes don’t change, even if the potential victims do, he said.

“It’s just using different keywords. It’s still the same,” Wooden said. “Fraud is still the same. A Ponzi scheme is a Ponzi scheme.”





Link

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending