Auburn football: Charles Barkley predicts NIL resentment and jealousy

All across the country, college sports fans have been reacting to sponsorships and deals debuted by college athletes who can now profit off their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Auburn football quarterback Bo Nix was one of the first to announce his deal with Milo’s Tea, and many Tigers partnered with Yoke Gaming.

While many are singing the praises of the new NIL ruling, there are those that disagree that it’s a positive thing for college sports. One of the more popular dissenters is Auburn graduate and former NBA star Charles Barkley.

In a recent interview with Dan Patrick, Barkley weighed in on the downside of the NIL, comparing it to when he and former Auburn star Bo Jackson played, transcript via Saturdays Down South:

"“What really bothers me and scares me about the whole scenario, Dan, there’s going to be so much resentment from other teammates,” Barkley said. “They’ll be like, ‘Damn, Charles is selling jerseys. He’s got a car deal. We work just as hard as him.’ Same thing with Bo Jackson. The offensive lineman – he opens up all the holes for Bo Jackson. Bo Jackson is making all this money and the offensive lineman who has to do all the work is not making a dime, I think there’s gonna be great resentment and jealousy on these teams.”"

So far, the money-making is spread out among many position groups for Auburn football. While QB Bo Nix, kicker Anders Carlson, and safety Smoke Monday–all major impact players for the Tigers–all hold some kind of sponsorship deal with brands, so do players in positions from wide receiver to linebacker to defensive tackle.

Offensive lineman Brandon Council is partnered with the Locked on Auburn podcast, and several players even produced their own logos. In addition to a wide variety of football players, Auburn gymnast Derrian Gobourne and women’s golfer Mychael O’Berry both have already announced deals.

While there is truth to what Barkley is saying, it looks like right now all the student-athletes are being inspired to go get their own bag. Most likely, we’ll have to wait until the fall to see how Barkley’s prediction pans out.