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Weekend Wrap, sponsored by Crystal Creek Partners

Weekend Wrap, sponsored by Crystal Creek Partners Owned by two Texas Aggie lettermen, Crystal Creek Partners specializes in commercial and residential real estate properties in the College Station area. Their properties are all custom newer construction in prime locations, including homes in The Estates of College Station and Commercial Spaces in South College Station’s Tower […]

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Weekend Wrap, sponsored by Crystal Creek Partners

Owned by two Texas Aggie lettermen, Crystal Creek Partners specializes in commercial and residential real estate properties in the College Station area. Their properties are all custom newer construction in prime locations, including homes in The Estates of College Station and Commercial Spaces in South College Station’s Tower Point and Tower Center. If you’re looking for a single-family home for 4 students or flexible space for your growing business, reach out to Crystal Creek Partners to learn more.Crystal Creek Partners is looking to expand their property portfolio in the College Station area to include additional student rentals and VRBO properties. If you are interested in selling a property, we’d love to talk .

Doug Brown, an owner in Crystal Creek Partners, is also an acclaimed real estate agent with Compass Realty specializing in The Woodlands, Tomball, Magnolia, and Montgomery markets. He is also well versed in the Bryan/College Station market if you are looking to find the perfect game day second home or investment property.For more information, Email doug@tammyhendricksteam.com

You can also check out their newest vacation property in College Station here.

House v. NCAA settlement reached

Several weeks after an anticipated settlement was expected to be reached, the now-infamous House v. NCAA case was concluded Friday night. For the first time, players can now be paid directly by universities for their athletic endeavors.

The settlement allows NCAA member schools to directly compensate student-athletes for their NIL, up to a capped amount of approximately 22% of specified revenue (for instance, media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships). The cap for the 2025-26 athletic year is estimated at approximately $20.5 million.

NIL deals are still within the rules, likely pushing the total significantly higher for players. The vast majority of the revenue dispersed by universities will go to football and basketball.

A new independent body, the College Sports Commission, will be responsible for implementing the settlement terms governing revenue sharing, NIL and roster limits. There will also be a clearinghouse to oversee and approve any NIL deals greater than $600.

Football scholarship limits will eventually be set at 105, with baseball moving to 34 full scholarships and basketball going from 13 scholarships to 15. Texas A&M had already announced that it would fully fund all those scholarships.

““The approval of the House settlement agreement represents a significant milestone for the meaningful support of our student-athletes and a pivotal step toward establishing long-term sustainability for college sports, two of the Southeastern Conference’s top priorities. As the journey to modernize collegiate sports continues, we remain focused on identifying and implementing innovative opportunities for our student-athletes across all sports while maintaining the core values that make collegiate athletics uniquely meaningful,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said.

Aggie commits shut down their recruitment after weekend official visits

Two of A&M’s top offensive recruits for the 2026 recruiting class took one look at Aggieland this weekend and shut down their recruitments entirely. Four-star wideout Aaron Gregory and 4-star running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. both re-affirmed their commitments this weekend.

“I don’t feel the need to (take other visits). Respect to all the other programs that are still showing interest and support, but A&M checks every box for me and my family,” Gregory told AggieYell.com.

Aggies raid the Owls nest for two players 

Texas A&M’s baseball program has picked up its first two transfers of the offseason, and both come courtesy of Florida Atlantic.

The first, pitcher MJ Bollinger, committed Friday. Serving as FAU’s closer, Bollinger made 28 appearances, third-most on the team, and had a 3-3 record with a 2.01 ERA and 11 saves. He struck out 39 in 44 2/3 innings, walked just 13 and had a WHIP of 1.12.

Outfielder Jake Duer joined Bollinger on the commit list Sunday. Duer started 34 games before a hip injury ended his season prematurely, but he was outstanding when healthy. He hit .428 with 11 doubles, 2 home runs and 27 RBI for an OPS of 1.048. In 138 at-bats, Duer struck out just 10 times.

With Duer likely filling the void in left field with Terrence Kiel II in center and Caden Sorrell in right, A&M utility player Jamal George entered the transfer portal Sunday morning.



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The House Settlement: College Athletics Panacea or Pandora’s Box? | Flaster Greenberg PC

Reprinted with permission from the July 9, 2024 edition of The Legal Intelligencer. © 2025 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited, contact 877-256-2472 or asset-and-logo-licensing@alm.com. On June 6, 2025, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken approved a settlement allowing NCAA schools to pay student-athletes in an agreement now simply known […]

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Reprinted with permission from the July 9, 2024 edition of The Legal Intelligencer. © 2025 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited, contact 877-256-2472 or asset-and-logo-licensing@alm.com.

On June 6, 2025, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken approved a settlement allowing NCAA schools to pay student-athletes in an agreement now simply known as The House Settlement. The House Settlement directly resolved outstanding antitrust lawsuits arising out the NCAA’s compensation system for the use of a student athlete’s name, image and likeness (“NIL”) by universities and colleges, namely House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and Carter v. NCAA.  

The first of these actions, House v. NCAA, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in 2021, was brought by Grant House (yes, this is a person, not the House of Representatives),  a swimmer at Arizona State University and Sedona Prince, a basketball player at the University of Oregon and later Texas Christian University, who were pursuing these claims on behalf of a class of student-athletes.  Grant House and Sedona Prince v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 545 F. Supp. 3d 804 (2021).  The plaintiffs challenged the existing NCAA rules limiting NIL earnings, in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, as well as unjust enrichment by the schools and NCAA. 

The next lawsuit, filed in the same federal court, was brought by Chuba Hubbard, a former football player at Oklahoma State University, and Keira McCarrell, a former member of the track and field teams at both the University of Oregon and later Auburn University.  Hubbard v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, No. 4:23-cv-01593 (N.D. Cal. filed Apr. 4, 2023).  The plaintiffs here alleged violations by the NCAA and member institutions under Section 1 of the Sherman Act (15 U.S.C. Section 1) and Section 4 of the Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. Section 4), related to failure to pay past education related benefits, which have come to be called “Alston Awards.”  In Alston, the United States Supreme Court found that the NCAA and member institutions had violated the Sherman Act in restricting the student-athletes ability to receive additional education related benefits.  National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston, 594 U.S. 69 (2021).  Those financial benefits included benefits for academic achievement and related educational expenses, which are not related to athletic performance but instead to academic matters, such as tuition, fees, books, supplies, and other educational items.  SCOTUS made such academic achievement benefits permissible to student-athletes, up to $5,980 per year.

The third in the trio of House Settlement lawsuits filed in the Northern District of California was Carter v. NCAA. The plaintiffs, DeWayne Carter, a football player at Duke, Nya Harrison, a soccer player at Stanford, and Sedona Prince, who was also a plaintiff in the House v. NCAA lawsuit, challenged the NCAA and member institutions’ restrictions on pay for play, e.g. direct compensation for athletic performance and service.  Carter v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, No. 4:23-cv-06325 (N.D. Cal. filed Dec. 7, 2023).

In light of the commonality of the House, Carter and Hubbard actions, in challenging NCAA rules regarding compensation and NIL, the district court consolidated the three actions, and the parties have since entered into the House Settlement.

So, what is the House Settlement and what are the terms of the settlement?  The House Settlement addressed some, but not all, past grievances, as well as established a framework of rules and procedures going forward to compensate student-athletes.  With regard to past wrongs, the NCAA and college athletic departments have agreed to pay $2.8 billion for what it referred to as “back-pay” for student-athletes who competed beginning in 2016 through the date the court approved the settlement.  The lion’s share of the payments will go to student-athletes who competed in football and basketball, but the House Settlement also allows for a share to go to other student-athletes in other sports. 

While the House Settlement addresses some, but clearly not all, of the sins of the past, the crux of the settlement is how it changes college athletics going forward.  For the first time, revenue earned through college athletics will be shared between schools and the student-athletes, with a salary cap of $20.5 million in year one and increasing each year over the next ten years.  Schools will also have roster caps per sport.  For example, football teams will be allowed 105 roster spots and men’s and women’s basketball will be allowed 15, while other sports will have their own roster limits.

Schools have the option to opt in or out of these rules, but if they opt in, they must follow the guidelines imposed by the House Settlement.  These schools are also governed by the newly formed College Sports Commission (“CSC”), which will be aided by Deloitte, using a clearinghouse called NIL Go. Colleges that opt in to the settlement are required to report every NIL deal between a student athlete and a third party that exceeds $600 to determine whether the deal equates to “fair market value.”

So, you might say to yourself the House Settlement resolved all the issues in college sports, NIL and compensation, but not by a longshot.  The House Settlement only resolved the three lawsuits…House, Hubbard and Carter.  As Seth Waxman, an attorney who argued the Alston case warned SCOTUS, failing to preserve amateurism in college athletics would result in “perpetual litigation and judicial superintendence.” 

Most recently, student-athletes have sought to do away with the NCAA limit on years of eligibility.  In the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, Cary Arbolida, a college baseball player, initiated suit to extend his college baseball tenure. Arbolida v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, No. 2:25-cv-02079 (D. Kan. filed Feb. 14, 2025).  Arbolida played for three years at a junior college (one of which was cut short by Covid), followed by two years at the University of Houston.  Arbolida subsequently transferred to Kansas State University and sought an injunction related to eligibility, which would have permitted him an additional two years of eligibility.  Arbolida contended that these eligibility rules prohibited his ability to earn compensation, including NIL related earnings.  The court denied the request for injunctive relief, after which Arbolida voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit. 

At the same time as Arbolida, another college baseball player, Alberto Osuna Sanchez, at the University of Tennessee, filed an action in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, against the NCAA seeking an additional year of eligibility.  Alberto Osuna Sanchez v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, No. 3:25-cv-00062 (E.D. Tenn. filed Feb. 12, 2025).  Similar to Arbolida, Osuna first played baseball at a junior college.  As such, he too sought additional eligibility, claiming that his junior college tenure should not bar him from eligibility for additional time at the Division 1 level.  And, consistent with the Arbolida court, the Osuna court denied injunctive relief.

However, as has been the problematic case with college athletics litigation (and state by state legislation), not all courts across the country have been consistent.  In fact, in April 2025, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey granted a preliminary injunction in favor of Jett Elad, a football player for Rutgers University, and thus enjoined the NCAA from enforcing the junior college rule regarding eligibility.  Elad v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, No. 3:25-cv-01981 (D.N.J. April 25, 2025). The NCAA has filed a motion to stay this ruling pending determination on appeal, which as of the date of this article has yet to be decided.

This is but one of the many avenues of litigation that remain despite the ambitious intent of the House Settlement.  College athletics needs to pursue a better path forward for its student-athletes and academic institutions.  This will require all parties to be more proactive, instead of waiting for courts to issue rulings and legislatures to act.  As we have seen, court rulings are inconsistent from state to state.  More troubling, state legislatures are considering their own actions, often only considering the best interests of their own state institutions and student-athletes, to the detriment of national consistency, fair competition and an even playing field.  As just one example, Tennessee’s governor, on May 1, 2025 (just one month before the House Settlement was approved), signed into law an expansion of Tennessee’s existing “Intercollegiate Name, Image and Likeness Law.” State of Tennessee (SB536/HB194). The law prohibits any limits on NIL compensation unless certain conditions are met, such as a court order or a federal law expressly prohibiting or limiting such limitations, and even attempts to provide immunity to Tennessee academic institutions and NIL collectives.  If academic institutions, their governing bodies and the student-athletes don’t take this bull by the horns, we will continue to exist in a state of perpetual litigation.



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Texas steals another Georgia native: Georgia football 2026 recruiting update | Georgia Sports

Georgia football continues to adapt to the NIL and recruitment process within college football, as evidenced by a shocking change to the class of 2026: linebacker Tyler Atkinson and DL James “JJ” Johnson have both committed to the University of Texas over Georgia.  Tyler Atkinson made a splash this past week by committing to the […]

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Georgia football continues to adapt to the NIL and recruitment process within college football, as evidenced by a shocking change to the class of 2026: linebacker Tyler Atkinson and DL James “JJ” Johnson have both committed to the University of Texas over Georgia. 

Tyler Atkinson made a splash this past week by committing to the play for Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns on the Pat McAfee Show. The No. 9 overall player and No.1 ranked linebacker in the country according to 247Sports, was heavily recruited by Georgia after they first extended him an offer when he was in eighth grade. 

As the No.1 recruit in the state of Georgia, Atkinson made more than a dozen visits to Athens during his recruitment, and many sources saw the Bulldogs as a favorite to yet again land the class’ best linebacker. This marked the second year in a row that Texas has stolen a top-rated Georgia native who most thought was a surefire recruit for the Bulldogs after Justus Terry committed to Texas last year. 

Just hours after Atkinson’s commitment to Texas, James “JJ” Johnson followed Atkinson as he flipped his commitment from Georgia to Texas. Johnson, the No. 1-ranked defensive lineman in the class of 2026 according to On3, committed to Georgia on June 28, but will now play football in Austin come next fall. 

These stunning commitments exemplify the new era of college football as players are allowed to be paid for their services. Despite the loss of these two players, Georgia’s recruiting class is still ranked No. 2 overall by 247Sports. The Bulldogs will still have elite talent in their front seven from the class of 2026. Tray Scott has secured commitments from PJ Dean, Carter Luckie, Preston Carey, Seven Cloud and Corey Howard, who will look to have an impact come fall of 2026.



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Current MLB draft format hurts college baseball and its players

This week marked the 2025 MLB draft. Three USC baseball players heard their names called in this year’s event: Ethan Hedges by the Colorado Rockies, Caden Hunter by the Baltimore Orioles, and Bryce Martin-Grudzialanek by the New York Yankees. Obviously, it is great for these players that they got drafted. Each year, I cannot think […]

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This week marked the 2025 MLB draft. Three USC baseball players heard their names called in this year’s event: Ethan Hedges by the Colorado Rockies, Caden Hunter by the Baltimore Orioles, and Bryce Martin-Grudzialanek by the New York Yankees.

Obviously, it is great for these players that they got drafted. Each year, I cannot think about how flawed the current MLB Draft system is, and how bad it is for college baseball by discouraging players from staying in school longer.

Let’s start with a brief refresher on the current MLB draft rules:

Eligibility

Unlike in the NFL and NBA, there is no “declaring” for the MLB draft. High school seniors are automatically eligible for the draft, as are junior college players. At the four-year college level, players are eligible if they have either played at least three years of college baseball and/or are at least 21 years old.

Deciding to sign

After the draft, players have until July 28 to decide whether or not to sign with the team that drafted them. For high school players, the decision is generally between signing and turning professional right away or going to college. For college and JUCO players with eligibility remaining, they must choose between staying in school for another year (either at their current program or transferring) or signing and relinquishing their remaining NCAA eligibility.

Slot bonuses and bonus pools

After signing, players almost always start their careers in the minor leagues, where their actual salary is very little (which is another problem in itself). Hence, the majority of the money that they make until they reach the majors comes from the signing bonus that they sign after being drafted.

However, unlike in the NFL, signing bonuses are not a set amount. Each draft has a “slot value,” which essentially amounts to a suggested amount. A team’s total signing bonus pool to allocate to all of their draft picks is equal to the sum of the slot values of all of their draft picks.

College seniors have very little leverage

As previously mentioned, after being drafted, players must choose between signing with the team that chose them or going to/staying in school. Some players and their agents will use the threat of not signing in order to demand the team that drafted them sign them for above their slot bonus.

However, college seniors have very little leverage, as they do not have any eligibility left. Hence, they are often forced to sign for significantly less than slot bonus in order to give the team more money to sign its other draft picks.

The ninth and tenth round issue

The bonus pool rules only apply to players selected in the first ten rounds of the draft. For players selected in rounds 11-20, teams can sign them for up to $150,000 without it counting against their bonus pool.

As a result, many teams will select college seniors in the ninth and tenth rounds of the draft, the last in which the bonus pool rules apply. They do this because they know that they will be able to sign these players for less than their slot value, giving them more money to sign their other draft picks.

College seniors get jobbed

The result of all of this? College seniors get punished. Their reward for staying in school longer to continue their education and develop more at the college level is being forced to sign for pennies on the dollar.

For instance, in the ninth round, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected Connor O’Neal, a senior catcher from Southern Louisiana. Although the slot value for the pick was $196,000, O’Neal signed for just $2,500, giving the team an extra $193,500 to spend on its other draft picks.

Bad for college baseball

Because the draft system is so heavily stacked against college seniors, players are heavily incentivized to sign earlier—either after high school, junior college, or their junior year of college. As a result, almost none of the best players make it to their senior year of college—and the few that do tend to suffer a major financial penalty for doing so.

Not only is this system bad for these players, but it is also terrible for the sport of college baseball. Because of the rules, fans rarely get to watch their favorite players play for four years, as they are heavily incentivized to depart prior to then.

One of the best things about NIL in college football is that it has caused players who might have otherwise turned professional early to stay in school longer—which is great for the sport. In baseball, however, that is not what is happening.

Hurts the players in the long run

As mentioned earlier, each team has 20 draft picks every year. With only 26 spots on each major league roster, the numbers there obviously do not add up. The result is that less than 20 percent of players who get drafted wind up making it to the major leagues. (Although this percentage will likely wind up going up, given that MLB has reduced the size of the draft in recent years.)

For that huge group of players who did not make it to the big leagues, the signing bonus is not going to last forever. A college degree would be invaluable for them to have in the long run. However, because of the system in place, the majority of these players either never attended college to begin with or left prior to graduating.

Potential solutions

So what can be done to fix this issue?

Fortunately, at least some help should be arriving in the form of increased scholarships. Through this past season, the NCAA scholarship limit for baseball was just 11.7, despite some rosters having up to 40 players. Under the new House settlement, however, baseball programs will now have 34 scholarships. This will likely keep some more players in school, as many will no longer have to deal with the financial burden of paying college tuition.

In addition, though, perhaps MLB should consider adopting a draft format more like the NFL’s—with hard signing bonuses rather than slot pools and suggested amounts. Doing this would not only prevent college seniors from getting screwed over, put it would potentially cause more players to stay in school as well, as they would know that with a strong senior year, they could still get a big signing bonus, and potentially even increase their draft stock.

Ultimately, the majority of players selected in the MLB draft are still likely going to be high schoolers and college juniors. With a few changes to their system, however, the league could help out college baseball and make things right for those who chose to stay in school.



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14-year-old soccer phenom makes NIL history with first partnership

On the heels of NIL turning four on July 1, one young athlete has made industry history with her first brand partnership. 14-year-old soccer phenom Loradana Paletta has signed a deal with Italian sports brand LOTTO to become their first-ever NIL athlete in the United States. The Syosset, N.Y.-native and star of both the U.S. […]

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On the heels of NIL turning four on July 1, one young athlete has made industry history with her first brand partnership. 14-year-old soccer phenom Loradana Paletta has signed a deal with Italian sports brand LOTTO to become their first-ever NIL athlete in the United States.

The Syosset, N.Y.-native and star of both the U.S. Soccer Under-16 Girls National Team and the NYCFC Youth U14 Academy Boys Team, Paletta joins LOTTO’s roster of more than 500 professional athletes around the world.

“I’m so proud to be LOTTO’s first NIL athlete and I’m really excited to start this journey with them,” Paletta shared with NIL Daily on SI. “It’s been amazing so far, even though I’ve known them for three of four weeks now. Meeting the team, I’ve been really comfortable with them. They’re really nice and as soon as I saw them, I just knew this was the right fit for me.”

Paletta now stands alongside NWSL star Sofia Huerta of Seattle Reign FC, MLS stars Kellyn Acosta of the Chicago Fire and Tim Parker of New York Red Bulls, plus legendary U.S. Soccer player and broadcaster Stu Holden as brand partners representing LOTTO’s iconic logo.

MORE: Beauty brand levels up women’s basketball support with Azzi Fudd, Paige Bueckers

Two years younger than most of her fellow U.S. Soccer Under-16 Girls National Team members, the star midfielder Paletta is already a poised pitch women when it comes to her footwear choices.

“Their boots are amazing,” Paletta added. “My particular favorite ones are the Solista in pink and blue. I also like wearing the straight black ones. They really suit my style. They really feel like calm on my feet and very light.”

Loradana Paletta for LOTTO

Loradana Paletta for LOTTO / LOTTO / Lucas Flores Piran

“LOTTO has a great fifty-plus year heritage in soccer and adding Loradana as our first NIL partner in the U.S. is the latest example of our dedication to the future of the sport and our continued growth in market as the country’s soccer participation and interest is skyrocketing,” said Jameel Spencer, Chief Marketing Officer, Fashion & Athletic Verticals, at WHP Global, which owns the LOTTO brand.

Paletta has traveled with globe in 2025 with recent U.S. Under-16 Girls’ National Team competitions and training camps in the Netherlands and Spain.

“At only 14 years-old, Loradana Paletta is everything LOTTO stands for,” Spencer continued. “Fearless, authentic, and driven by passion. She’s a dynamic leader on the pitch and rewriting the story for young female athletes in this country, and we’re proud to be a part of that. Her energy and attitude mirror our DNA, and she’s already leading the next generation by example.”

– Enjoy more NIL Daily on SI –

NIL powerhouses Azzi Fudd, Livvy Dunne join star-studded sparkling water investment

Kai Trump joins Livvy Dunne, Travis Kelce with new NIL deal

Nation’s No. 1 college basketball recruit signs NIL deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand

14-year-old world record holder signs NIL partnership with Nike



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Goodman: Is Auburn’s Hugh Freeze building winners or criminals?

This is an opinion column. ____________________ Hugh Freeze was feeling bullish about Auburn football at SEC Media Days, but it appears like he has a major problem festering with this team. The players keep getting arrested for allegedly committing serious crimes. The latest Auburn football player to run afoul of the law is Malcolm Simmons, […]

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This is an opinion column.

____________________

Hugh Freeze was feeling bullish about Auburn football at SEC Media Days, but it appears like he has a major problem festering with this team.

The players keep getting arrested for allegedly committing serious crimes.

The latest Auburn football player to run afoul of the law is Malcolm Simmons, the once promising wide receiver from Alexander City. I say “once” because Simmons is presumably no longer on Auburn’s football team after being charged with domestic violence on Wednesday.

Fall camp is close, but it can’t get here fast enough for the Tigers. Freeze predicted that Auburn would contend for a playoff spot this week, but he’s going to need some players to make that happen.

Is Freeze building winners or criminals down on the Plains?

A couple weeks ago, a now-former Auburn football player from Birmingham was arrested for allegedly planning to deal drugs. D’Angelo Barber, who is 19 years old, was stopped by Dadeville police traveling between his hometown and Auburn. In his car were two and a half pounds of marijuana and the things modern-day drug dealers need to turn NIL cash into a budding criminal empire on college campuses: scales, vapes, a gun and a bunch of cash.

Two and half pounds is a lot of dope. Was the plan to sell weed to football players or just students?

Barber’s arrest reminds me of former Alabama football star Sherman Williams, who went to prison for 15 years for crimes related to selling drugs. The difference between Williams and Barber is that Williams was a pro football player when he was busted and Barber was just beginning his career in college.

The problem with this NIL-era of college football is that a lot of these players are becoming wealthy based on potential rather than accomplishments. When people don’t actually do anything to gain their wealth, then there’s a greater tendency to take it all for granted. Just look at bone-headed Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn’s star basketball player who was arrested for driving under the influence last week.

Pettiford has everything going for him after helping Auburn reach the Final Four. He decided to return to Auburn instead of going pro. I’m beginning to question that decision. Maybe he needs to get away from the college scene to fully mature.

At baseline, fans are wary of this era of NIL-infused college football and basketball. How long are supporters of teams going to tolerate paying players who turn around and use that money to bail themselves out of jail?

And the new revenue-sharing model for collegiate athletics is about to give players even more green. With so much cash around, character among players is going to matter more than ever before.

Georgia has had its problems and so has Alabama. Auburn’s string of arrests aren’t unique. But Georgia football and Alabama basketball are established programs. They’ve been able to correct the problems internally and continue winning. Character issues among players can ruin Freeze’s plan of resurrecting Auburn football before the season even begins.

I really wanted this Auburn football team to break its cycle of under-achieving mediocrity and give fans something to love, but I’m beginning to have some doubts. It was only 24 hours ago that I wrote a column backing Freeze and these Tigers. They can be the surprise team of the SEC, but you have to suddenly question all that jive that Freeze was saying at Media Days about a winning culture in this locker room.

“Heading into our third year — with respect obviously to our great league — our roster is just better,” Freeze said. “We’re bigger, we’re faster, we’re stronger. Our culture is strong.”

Really, Hugh?

Earlier this week, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey raised serious questions about the erosion of values in this new era of pay-for-play. Freeze played the holier-than-though routine a couple weeks ago when he accused SEC rivals of cheating, but he might want to focus on his players being arrested for allegedly dealing drugs and choking women.

What is it that I wrote on Tuesday at Media Days? Something about there being no saints in the SEC?

Georgia’s Kirby Smart talked about building character this week and so did LSU’s Brian Kelly. Isn’t it hard to take these guys seriously?

Pretty words mean nothing when players are getting picked up by the cops.

Freeze has a well-documented history of questionable decisions, of course. In the end, for good or ill, every team is a reflection of its coach’s character.

And I really wanted Simmons to be a great player, too. He was fun to watch last season. He was so fast and quick that even his mistakes on the field offered proof of his potential. There were times when he looked like a future All-SEC receiver.

I hope it works out for him, but it can’t be at Auburn. Alleged strangulation and suffocation of a girlfriend? These are charges that can’t be ignored or made to go away. No coach can be associated with domestic violence under any circumstance. Even former coach Urban Meyer, during those notorious years at Florida, had a zero-tolerance policy for girlfriend abusers.

Hopefully the character issues related to Barber and Simmons are isolated to those players and Auburn can be better without them around. We’ll see. Too many times, though, arrests and poor offseason decisions are the beginning signs of a larger problem.

The guys in charge have cut corners building a roster and the foundation of a team crumbles from within.

BE HEARD

Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”

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College football leaders ‘haven’t heard anything’ about Donald Trump’s planned executive order to regulate NIL

President Donald Trump is pushing to establish name, image and likeness standards across college athletics and plans to sign an executive order to ensure changes are made. College sports leaders, including SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and billionaire Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell, are some of the leading voices behind NIL change, but didn’t expect the […]

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President Donald Trump is pushing to establish name, image and likeness standards across college athletics and plans to sign an executive order to ensure changes are made. College sports leaders, including SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and billionaire Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell, are some of the leading voices behind NIL change, but didn’t expect the announcement this week.

Campbell has spoken at length with Trump this summer about ways to stabilize the rapidly changing landscape of college sports. Campbell told USA Today he “hadn’t heard anything” about Trump’s order, but was not caught off guard by the news.

And while the White House has halted plans for a college sports commission for now, Trump is moving forward after members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the SCORE Act (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements) aiming to “protect the name, image, and likeness rights of student-athletes to promote fair compensation with respect to intercollegiate athletics, and for other purposes.” 

The bill would superse the current patchwork of state laws that provide guidance on player compensation and create federal standards for NIL.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said this week there’s still much to sort out concerning Trump’s plan.

“It’s not a secret, I had a chance to visit with the President, along with Pete Bevacqua, the athletics director at Notre Dame,” Sankey told ESPN Wednesday. “We met and played golf at Bedminster, and his interest is real. My takeaway: he wants to be supportive of college athletics, make sure that it’s sustainable, the Olympic program and the Olympic development.

“Work that’s done on college campuses was on his mind. The support of women’s athletics was on his mind, but having some kind of real boundaries, and we’ve been in active conversations. And I talked to members of Congress yesterday as they look at a bill in the House of Representatives, went through a subcommittee markup, this is all the gobbledygook. I think those congressional activities are still a real priority for us.”

Sankey said he didn’t have “inside reports” of what led to news of Trump’s plan for an executive order relating to NIL standards.

College football coaches and leaders have voiced strong opinions on NIL and revenue sharing regulation. South Carolina’s Shane Beamer testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade of the Committee on Energy and Commerce earlier this year while former Alabama coach Nick Saban has called for change on several occasions.





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