This year’s football transfer portal has been unprecedented and it's only getting started. And it's not only football - the entire college sports world is impacted. The reason? Name, Image, and Likeness. How do you keep up? NIL Wire exists to help you navigate, unpack, and stay informed with the changing landscape. Subscribe to our FREE email newsletter with just one click and keep up with the latest NIL news.
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#10: Maryland has remodeled the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex, expanding it from 5,500 square feet to nearly 18K. The upgrades include separate locker rooms for the two programs, increased sports medicine capabilities, adding a hall of champions and a second-floor addition for coaching offices and meeting spaces. Lots of photos for you to browse. (link)
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#9: NCAA President Charlie Baker talks with Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde about his student-athlete compensation proposal and doesn’t dispute that it’s at least in part a way of signaling to Congress that college sports is being proactive. “I’m working on the theory that not just people in Congress, but people in and around college sports, who would like to see the NCAA chart a course here, create a direction. I certainly heard from a lot of the folks I talked to who said, ‘You all need to be forward-facing if we’re going to make progress here.’ Which I understand.” The proposal has already achieved its goal of sparking a conversation, and Baker tells Forde: “One of the best parts of this, I’ve already had people reach out to me and say, ‘What about doing this instead?’ The one thing I said to people when I was talking to them, I said, ‘Don’t say no.’ People have already started to take that idea and propose alternatives to it—which is fine. That’s kind of the whole purpose of it. I’ve seen very little pushback. The big message from almost everybody was, ‘Thank God we’re finally talking about the elephant in the room.’“ Baker goes on to remark: “I’m very anxious to make sure that when we come out of this, we don’t lose all the sports that are the so-called non-revenue-producing sports. I want those to continue to be a big part of the show. But at the same time, we’ve got to recognize—especially at the highest-resourced institutions—more has got to be done here.” (link)
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#8: Here is the SEC’s 2024 football schedule. (link) |
#7: Famous Toastery President Mike Sebazco tells SBJ he thought he was being pranked when he was first contacted about the opportunity to sponsor a bowl. “I had kind of a 'Dumb and Dumber' moment like, 'Hey, gee, some lucky fellows get a bowl game.’ We did some kicking the tires on it and the people that are working with us through not just this partnership but our NASCAR relationship with [driver] Michael McDowell. [They] are of the highest integrity and not big pranksters. This was very, very real.” While bowl games typically take a year or more to plan, this process came together in a matter of weeks with the move from the Caribbean to Charlotte, and Sebazco says: “Only in my wildest dreams [did we envision this]. We had never considered anything remotely close to this.” (link)
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#6: Tulane Sports Law Director Gabe Feldman is joined by Winston & Strawn Co-Executive Chairman Jeffrey Kessler to discuss Kessler’s role in multiple antitrust cases against the NCAA. With House v. NCAA scheduled to go to trial in January 2025, Kessler says: “This all should be wrapped up by a year from this January in which we expect all these rules will be struck down, and we expect to obtain a very large damage recovery in the billions of dollars for the athletes.” Kessler also calls estimates of $1.4B in damages “low and preliminary because it was based on an analysis that was done based on just the first year of data that was available at that time. We have updated our damages analysis in a report we recently filed. I cannot disclose that number because I think it's confidential, but I will just say that the damages claim that we present at trial will be significantly more than the $1.4B number.” Feldman points out the damages would be trebled, meaning if the number is, for instance, $3B, then it would grow to $9B. On NCAA President Charlie Baker’s player compensation proposal, Kessler says: “The significance for us is it’s a wonderful admission by the president of the NCAA that these bans on paying for NIL rights directly are antitrust violations because since he now believes he can get rid of those bans without doing damage to college sports, which is what we've argued all along, that's going to be fatal under the rule of reason. In some ways I view this proposal as throwing in the towel on antitrust liability, but what they've offered is not what we would settle for.” Lots more. (link)
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#5: Texas Tech shows off updates to its indoor baseball facility and clubhouse. (link) |
#4: Michigan officials are reportedly working with a firm outside the athletic department to look into an altercation between Wolverines Men’s Basketball HC Juwan Howard & Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for Olympic Sports Jon Sanderson. Reports of punches being thrown between the two are inaccurate, per a statement shared by The Athletic’s Brendan Quinn. Howard is still recovering from open heart surgery this past summer. Rivals’ Maize & Blue Review adds: “Howard is NOT set to step down or be fired, which has been confirmed through multiple sources.” (link, link); The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman shares the latest on a dustup between Michigan Basketball HC Juwan Howard and Olympic Sports Strength & Conditioning HC Jon Sanderson: “Juwan’s son (Jace Howard), who’s been out all year – he’s been hurt, he’s been frustrated not being able to get back on the court – he was in the training room. And he was walking out and he got into it with the trainer first – almost to the point of berating the trainer. Over the line, over the line. The strength coach, Jon Sanderson, hears it and he gets pissed. … Again, I talked to somebody who said listen, it was him losing his cool – good kid, just frustrated not being able to get on the court for the last few months. And Jon Sanderson hears this and says something to the effect of ‘That's why the effing culture is the way it is around here.” Juwan Howard, per Goodman, heard the remark, and “he went right up to Sanderson, who’s about six-seven, six-eight, 270. … He's…exactly what you would think of if there was a picture of a strength coach on the wall right now. And [Howard] went right up to him and they got – from what my sources tell me, and this is multiple sources telling me – chest to chest, nose to nose before they had to be separated.” (link)
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#3: Following a West Virginia District Court ruling regarding the NCAA transfer process for second-time transfers against the association, the NCAA "will not enforce the year in residency requirement for multiple-time transfers and will begin notifying member schools," per a statement to Yahoo's Ross Dellenger. The ruling issued a temporary restraining order for 14 days, allowing multi-year transfers to compete through December 27, when the hearing for an NCAA appeal will take place. (link); Dellenger reports the NCAA has since provided clarity, and a student-athlete who competes in a game over the next 14 days will, in fact, lose a season of eligibility if the court’s ruling is reversed. From an NCAA Q&A: Question: Does the season of competition legislation apply if a student-athlete competes during the 14-day TRO?” Answer: “Yes. The 14-day TRO only enjoined Bylaw 14.5.5.1 and does not change the season of competition legislation.” The Q&A also indicates a first-time transfer sitting out a year because they transferred after the window closed can compete during the TRO. Dellenger: “Some have misinterpreted the restitution rule & eligibility issue. (1) Judge suspended restitution rule, which prevents NCAA from punishing school/athlete for playing if ruling is reversed. (2) If ruling is reversed & an athlete has played, he/she has used a season of eligibility. An important note here: Like any NCAA decision/rule around an active court case, the judge will have an interpretation in this matter.” (link)
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#2: Check out some early pictures of heavy machinery starting to rip apart David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium as major changes are on the way. Wonder if the Jayhawks raised money around giving fans/donors a chance to sit behind the wheel of that massive excavator? (link)
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#1: Duke Football student-athlete DeWayne Carter is the namesake in the new Carter v. NCAA lawsuit filed last week. Carter was on hand yesterday for the introduction of new Blue Devils Football HC Manny Diaz, but was not allowed to engage with the media. Duke AD Nina King: “DeWayne is a fantastic kid. We don't treat him any differently. We won't deal with him any differently. But we're still looking at what all of that means for us.” (link)
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