Focus on NiJaree Canady’s NIL deal ‘insulting’ to Texas Tech softball star

• Glasco argued that the focus on Canady’s compensation overshadows her athletic achievements and perpetuates gender inequality in sports.
• He emphasized the significant value Canady brought to the team, exceeding the financial investment of her NIL deal.
• Glasco advocated for clearer rules and guidelines surrounding NIL deals in the future.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Even after the Texas Tech softball team’s season came to a bitter end in the finals of the Women’s College World Series, Gerry Glasco had to be asked about NiJaree Canady’s name, image and likeness deal.

Since Canady’s arrival last July, she and her head coach have fielded question after question about the nature of the agreement with The Matador Club — most from national outlets who dropped in on the Red Raiders throughout the season — what it means for Canady, the player, and Glasco, the leader of the Red Raiders. By the end of Friday night’s press conference following the 10-4 loss to Texas in a winner-take-all game for the national championship, Glasco had had enough.

Glasco gave it a second before answering the question from a national outlet’s reporter. He began by saying he was in no way, shape or form the right person to be talking about NIL. He did, however, have a few thoughts on the focus — even 11 months after it became public knowledge — on Canady’s deal.

“Why is it different for a female athlete to be paid $1 million than a male football player getting three million or four million, or a male basketball player?” Glasco rhetorically asked. “I think that’s an interesting question.”

Glasco took Canady’s situation and compared it to that of the Ohio State football team, which was known to have paid a hefty amount for it’s national championship-winning team. While NIL might be mentioned in discussions about the Buckeyes, it rarely appears on TV broadcasts, he said.

Canady and the Red Raiders were not afforded that luxury. Each time Texas Tech made it onto ESPN, the bulk of the talking points — after Canady’s talent — were those about the NIL deal that brought her to Lubbock.

“Personally, I’m thrilled for NiJa,” Glasco said, adding that he loves the idea of any athlete being able to capitalize on themselves, leaving school without years of student loans to pay off. “I found it almost insulting to her at times when I listen to broadcasts, how much they talk about it.

“Like I said, I don’t hear it when we talk about… when we watch a men’s basketball game or a men’s football game. And to me, that’s not right. That shouldn’t be that way.”

The Texas Tech head coach pointed out something he reiterated before the WCWS began: Canady’s deal may be big and historic, but the return on investment might be the highest in the short history of NIL.

“The value of NiJa Canady to our program is, I think, it’s unbelievable,” Glasco said. “I’m no expert, or somebody could do an in-depth study, but I have no doubt it would exceed a million dollars of value.”

The Matador Club seems to agree with Glasco. The Tech NIL collective signed Canady to another lucrative deal that was reported Friday before the championship game.

Glasco sees this is an opportunity for everybody to learn and grow from.

“I think that our sport, I’m thrilled for the athletes that are getting to take advantage,” Glasco said. “I also think that we have to use great caution. It’s a new policy. It’s a new. … I don’t know what the right word (is), but it’s a new situation and obviously a lot of rules and guidelines need to be used or set, established in the coming years.”