Clemson football: Commissioners plead with Congress over NIL craziness

NIL has college football in utter chaos

Things have changed quickly since Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney spoke out against the NIL and took the brunt of stupidity when everyone was saying everything was just fine.

Swinney (and others) have apparently done the impossible, that is, getting SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff on the same team as the pair of strange bedfellows went to Congress to lobby for NIL regulation.

"“I appreciate today’s opportunity for conversation and dialogue with members of Congress,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement Thursday night. “As we have observed activity emerge that is very different from original ideas around Name, Image and Likeness, it is important we continue to pursue a national NIL structure to support the thousands of opportunities made available for young people through intercollegiate athletics programs across the country.”"

Per Stewart Mandel the sport is in complete chaos at the moment:

"Stewart Mandel, editor-in-chief, college football: The college sports world is in utter chaos right now due to the lack of regulation around NIL. There is very little confidence the NCAA can accomplish anything on its own."

Gee, who could have seen this coming?  Dabo for one, but at least he’s not alone these days, as he was when he was originally asked the question, seemingly 75 times.

The bad news is it could absolutely get worse in the future.

"And now the threat of a possible employer-employee model down the road is gaining traction. Sankey and Kliavkoff will undoubtedly try to paint a picture for the senators that it’s going to take federal regulation to preserve some semblance of traditional college sports."

Change was needed, but rules a must

I’m OK if you call me old and naive, that college sports has been about money for a long time.  I get it and realize change was needed.

But one coach in the Upstate of South Carolina warned us about unintended consequences when changes are implemented without thoughtful deliberation and any semblance of structure and went unheeded until others spoke up.

I think kids should be able to transfer and profit of their Name, Image and Likeness, but without rules and regulations the worst instincts in humans will come out as they have in this case.

The sport we love is changing, some say for the better and some say for the worse.  I’m old enough to have been around for other changes that were going to “ruin the game”, yet it’s still standing.

I hope it’s still standing when this carousel stops.