The NCAA president commented on the “evidence of dysfunction in today’s NIL environment” and reiterated his desire to see Congress create national guidelines to shape the so-called name, image and likeness endorsement deals that are reshaping college sports.
Charlie Baker’s social media posting came Friday, capping a week in which UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka made headlines by abruptly ending his season. His agent explained that Sluka made the decision after not paying the $100,000 NIL contract promised by the assistant coach when the quarterback agreed to transfer to the Rebels last winter.
Baker didn’t address the issue directly in his post, but noted that “promises were made but not kept.”
“We see evidence of dysfunction in today’s NIL environment, including examples of commitment but not retention to student-athletes,” Baker said.
He cited a template contract that the NCAA provides to athletes that includes what he called “recommended, fair terms.” But the NCAA, with a steady rate of court cases over player payment issues in recent years, doesn’t have the power to force athletes to live up to its standards.
On Thursday, attorneys filed a rescheduled settlement proposal on a lawsuit that would funnel $2.78 billion to current and former players as part of a new revenue-sharing agreement between schools and athletes. The NCAA is a defendant in that lawsuit, and the settlement limits its oversight to many NIL contracts.
The terms of the settlement are supposed to last 10 years, though other factors, such as potential efforts to unionize players and state or federal legislation, will affect how the college landscape moves forward.
“We continue to advocate for Congress to create national NIL guidelines that will protect student-athletes from exploitation, including the use of standard contracts,” Baker wrote at the end of his posting.
