Lightning rod former Auburn HC rips ‘disastrous’ NIL system
Lightning rod former Auburn football Tommy Tuberville has been an outspoken critic of college football’s NIL system since its implementation following the COVID-stricken 2020-21 academic year and he continued his crusade against the current setup in a short video he sent to USA Today.
“Today we are meeting with coaches, athletic directors and administrators from several different conferences here in Washington, D.C., talking about the disastrous new NIL rules,” Tuberville prefaced before saying, “And they are a disaster.” (h/t AL.com)
Tuberville is right. Powerhouse universities like Miami have been hit with NIL sanctions, and there is minimal regulation from state to state — adding an extra layer to recruiting that has nothing to do with the academic and student-athlete futures of the recruits.
Former Auburn football head coach Tommy Tuberville pitches NIL solution
Tuberville made it clear in his video message to USA Today that the NIL system has positives: mainly, paying college athletes making massive profits for their universities.
“I’m for players being able to be compensated for their hard work in athletics as well as academics,” Tuberville said. “We have to come to some kind of agreement where we can help the NCAA make improvements to this runaway NIL situation that we’re in as we speak.”
The former Auburn football head coach also made a grand proclamation that he’d “save college sports” by continuing his efforts with senior West Virginia senator Joe Manchin to tackle the NIL problem in college sports.
“Players transferring at any time? Players making deals with the help of agents with schools and then not being compensated after making these deals? We’re looking out for the player as much as for the university,” Tuberville prefaced before saying, “But we’re looking out for education and we’re looking out for the sanctity of college sports.”
Truthfully, the prospect of players being able to transfer less comes at a convenient time for the Tigers after building a Class of 2023 through the portal. Hugh Freeze seemingly has things under control now in 2024 and beyond, so any such changes to NIL wouldn’t be as detrimental as they would’ve been a year ago.