Are the Vols the hero or the villain here in this NIL/NCAA investigation? It’s become a fascinating topic.
I’ve seen fans of Tennessee’s most hated rivals defend the Vols while others want the death penalty against them. Fans with no skin in the game are torn. It’s everything from “if you break the rules, you should pay” to “I hope they destroy the NCAA,” and questions about who is the hammer and who is the nail come up.
Tennessee claims two things — their collective did nothing wrong, and “everyone does it” if we get punished. Something is fishy for sure; otherwise, this wouldn’t have been leaked. Is it enough for NCAA sanctions? Can the NCAA hammer the Vols into oblivion fresh off the Jeremy Pruitt sanctions? Time will tell.
But are they the hero we all need, or are they part of the problem and ruination of college football? I don’t hate the Vols. I don’t like the Vols. I don’t give a crap about the Vols. I don’t hate or like any college football team. I started as a fan and did something dumb — I took what I love and made it my line of work. Anyone who does that can tell you that it lessens the passion, joy, and love you had before. I still love college football, but I don’t care who wins, loses, and who cheats. But it doesn’t change the question — hero or villain?
If Tennessee followed the letter of the law, and I know their fans are convinced they did, then they should lead the charge to take down the NCAA. On the other hand, are we to believe that a collective based in Knoxville founded by two Vols alum with over a hundred Tennessee athletes as clients didn’t care where QB Nico Iamaleava went to school? By letter of contract, they weren’t dumb enough to put inducements on paper and said they would rep him no matter what school he chose. But c’mon, if you think they didn’t want him in Knoxville, you’re naive and dumb. That’s the villain part. Did they induce him to come to Tennessee?
The hero part? The NCAA is dumb as a bag of hair and had no plan for NIL, even though we all saw it coming for years. So their “guidelines” stating you still can’t buy players and pay NIL to induce them to a certain school is weak sauce. And nearly everyone is doing it, as Tennessee AD Danny White said in his statement…
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I’ve had many inquiries, and I want those in the college athletics community to hear directly from me.#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/HzjP8Ntgz3
— Danny White (@AD_DannyWhite) February 1, 2024
Whether it’s alleged $8 million deals like Iamaleava or small-time local car dealerships at smaller schools, inducement is inducement, and it’s going on everywhere. So, the Vols are wondering why they are being targeted. And that’s easy. The big, ridiculous deals reported in the media and believed by the sheep in college football will get looked at first. That’s why Florida and the Jaden Rashada deal are under investigation, and now Iamaleava. The other deals? The smaller ones will be brushed under the rug as the NCAA doesn’t have the manpower to handle and the lesser rumored ones, like perhaps Quinn Ewers at Ohio State or Caleb Williams at USC, could be coming next. That’s why the Big Ten is more than happy to get in with the SEC on this joint advisory board.
I dove into NIL around COVID when it started to become a thing, and it was filthy and disgusting. Lots of rich people trying to outdo each other and squabbling over pennies while throwing millions at kids. The backstabbing was gross, and everyone was clamoring for the next piece of meat to make their own. And the schools knew they had no choice. Making this fair enterprise and above board is the hero part. Why not have bidding wars over elite kids? They benefit.
So, I’m leaning on the hero side here because the days of the NCAA being viable and having power need to come to an end. Money was made on the sweat of college athletes for years, but the gig is up. Let them earn and let the schools bid publically for their services. Once the NCAA is pushed aside, trust me when I tell you that whoever is in charge will want very badly to put an NIL cap in place, because the boosters don’t have endless money like everyone thinks. Water always finds its level, and it will here as well.
So here’s hoping the Vols continue to fight back, get more and more support from other schools and states, and they crush the NCAA. Then, the SEC and Big Ten can lead the charge into the next college football era, where lawlessness will rule until order is restored.
We need this market correction badly. So maybe the Vols, whether they cheated or not, can help bring it.
