NIL forum explains both sides of controversial issue that has split college sports

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BOCA RATON — Jerry Donner remembers a simpler time in college sports, when amateur athletes were part of a governing body aimed at leveling the playing field.

But now the former athletic director views the NCAA as a modern version of the Wild West.

With the exodus of older, more traditional coaches leaving the college ranks – Miami men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga abruptly resigned in December – all signs point to the influence of name, image and likeness licensing rights among today’s recruits.

“Athletes are gonna get paid. The question is, how are you going to monitor it and control it?” said Donner, an athletic director at New York’s Long Island University from 1972 to 1983 who now serves as president of the South Florida Basketball Association.

More: Miami football paying Georgia QB transfer Carson Beck $4 million in NIL money | Report

Dec 3, 2024; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Jim Larranaga looks on after the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

“Somebody has to put their foot down. It’s the Wild Wild West. That’s how I would describe it right now. You can do whatever you want.”

Since 2021, when the NCAA changed its rules to allow college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL), blue-chip high school and junior college recruits have essentially become free agents willing to sign with the highest bidder.

Combined with the transfer portal, which allows athletes to change schools without any loss of eligibility, navigating a college program has turned into a professional business.

“The NCAA and presidents have pretty much destroyed our game,” former Cincinnati and West Virginia men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins said at a charity luncheon on Jan. 15 hosted by the South Florida Basketball Association at Broken Sound Club in Boca Raton.

“Absolute greed,” Huggins continued. “It has become more about NIL than basketball. We lost total control…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nil-forum-explains-both-sides-125156837.html

Author : Palm Beach Daily News

Publish date : 2025-01-27 12:51:00

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