Schools seeking stability in the ‘wild west’ of NIL

As big-time college athletic leaders gathered for annual meetings in Arizona this week, the flames of name, image and likeness burned across the country as the industry shook.

Under the guise of NIL activity, boosters are offering inducements to recruits — transfers and high school athletes. Athletes are openly leaving one program for another in search of NIL money. Administrators are feeling pressure and in some cases paying the price for not keeping pace.

The NCAA could launch investigations while industry heads are pleading with federal lawmakers for guidance.

Ten months into a new era that allows college athletes to profit off their likeness or earn money through sponsorships and other means, the landscape appears just as many expected — chaotic. Surprised?

Don’t be.

“We knew that there were very little guardrails,” said Florida attorney Peter Schoenthal, head of the NIL advisory and management company Athliance. “We knew that enforcement would take time to catch up with the actors. When you have a new space, the bad actors always come out looking for the loopholes early on. … So we always knew it was going to be the wild west right away.”

Name, image and likeness activity began on July 1, 2021 when a handful of state laws went live. There were no specific NCAA guidelines tied to the new space, nor was there a federal law.

Instead, each state had its own set of laws that left individual schools scrambling for guidance. Many schools hired outside firms to manage NIL activity and work with compliance offices to affirm that deals fell within existing NCAA rules.

Opendorse, the company used by UConn, works with about 120 schools at all levels. NIL deals are inputted through Opendorse software by athletes and the activity is immediately shared with the school’s NCAA compliance office.

But it’s not always that simple when outside figures are involved. There are so-called “collectives” formed to help athletes find opportunity or — perhaps

Maddie Meyer / TNS The NCAA logo is seen on the basket stanchion before the game between the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and the Florida Gators in the second round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on March 21, 2021 in Indianapolis.