Twitter dragged former Auburn football HC Gene Chizik for NIL hot take
Former Auburn football head coach Gene Chizik has been retired as a college football coach since 2016. Since then, he’s been an analyst for the SEC Network who’s provided context to all things CFB under the ESPN umbrella.
Well, with the cameras off, Chizik took to Twitter to share what he felt about every University of Texas’ offensive line recruit cashing out to the tune of $50,000 through the newly implemented NCAA’s NIL rules.
And boy did he feel the heat for doing so.
From former college footballers to athletes from other sports to fellow media members, Chizik wasn’t safe from anyone for speaking out against the idea of collegiate athletes cashing in on their names, images, and likenesses:
You should sit this one out Eugene!! https://t.co/cV8HwfEWE6
— Daren Bates (@DB_5trey) December 15, 2021
You get paid to talk about these players but it’s an issue that they get paid for giving you something to talk about? https://t.co/Atedk1ijju
— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) December 15, 2021
Wait a second now coach. Texas players won you a national championship, which led to you getting 6.75 Mill guaranteed in your first head coaching job at Iowa state. https://t.co/ZmUJdZrIHP
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) December 15, 2021
Not a fan of free markets huh https://t.co/kDMmeDxUgC
— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) December 15, 2021
This isn’t a parody account? This is a real life human? Can’t be Coach Chizik saying this. Can’t be someone that is a part of the run for the money fraternity. I refuse to believe. https://t.co/VwteHxfUPh
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) December 15, 2021
Chizik made no friends with his comments, which some are reading as tone-deaf. Perhaps the #WordsOfChizdom hashtag could have sat this tweet out.
When it comes to the NIL, it’s a no-brainer for student athletes to take advantage of the system, which in the case of a Longhorns OL, provides a yearly salary. These are full-time athletes that practically power a given state’s Saturday plans every week, so Fly War Eagle is all for every Auburn football player being fairly compensated for being the life-blood of the Plains in the fall.