NCAA Launches "NCAA Assist", Howard's Mens Basketball Team Seeking a Major Investment, and Much More | Newsletter #259
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for athletes, administrators, agencies and other sport professionals.
Today’s newsletter includes compelling Olympic stories, additional House updates, and more hot topics.
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This Monday Newsletter includes:
1. Howard Basketball’s Major Plans For the Future
2. The NCAA’s New “NCAA Assist” Program
4. What’s coming up in the world of NIL
5. Legal Update: Howard Christian University Issues Appeal
6. News/tips for administrators and student athletes
Major News
Howard’s Basketball Program Seeking a $100 Million Investment for a 33% Stake
As part of a wide-ranging proposal, Kenny Blakeney, the Bison’s head coach, announced he is seeking $100 million for a 33 percent stake in Howard’s basketball program.
Blakeney’s proposal includes having Howard go independent, allowing them to find their own television deal, or join a bigger conference as an affiliate school (such as the Big East which Blakeney mentions throughout his written proposal). The initial $100 million investment would go towards upgrading Howard’s arena and roster.
With the evolving climate surrounding college athletics, Blakeney wants to make sure his program is not left behind. “I don’t want to have a two-tiered system where we’re not able to compete for the NCAA tournament or the national championship. And from what I’m hearing right now, that is a real possibility… there’s going to be an NCAA tournament that isn’t going to include everyone.” - Coach Blakeney
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference - the conference that Howard competes in - has an expiring television deal that is up after the upcoming season. As a result, Howard can shop for other opportunities without the hurdle of a long-term commitment.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
NCAA Launches their “NCAA Assist” Interactive Platform
The NCAA launched their “NIL Assist” program, the governing body’s new centralized database of college athlete endorsement information. NIL Assist has three distinct features —a data dashboard (which will be updated in real time), a suite of athlete educational resources, and a registry of professional service providers.
The data dashboard is publicly accessible and shows the aggregated average and median values of NIL deals disclosed by athletes to their schools. It is searchable by sport, conference, position and deal type. The dashboard’s info will be updated in real time as new NIL disclosures require schools to submit their athletes’ information to the NCAA’s national office twice a year. The provider registry will only be accessible to eligible athletes and will allow them to review different providers.
The platform was built and administered by Teamworks. Teamworks was named the third-party administrator of the “NIL Assist” prgram back in April, and they had less than four months to build out its “web-based solution.” Teamworks incorporated input from coaches, athletic administrators and members of the NCAA’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Other Notable Stories to Follow
Sherrone Moore accused of violating NCAA rules - LINK
Will NCAA antitrust concerns harm American Olympics? - LINK
Team USA athlete prizes will be taxed - LINK
Illinois NIL bill passed into law - LINK
WME Sports and Underdog Fantasy to host Ryder Cup-style golf events - LINK
What’s Coming Up Next For NIL
Judge Wilken’s House Settlement Decision
Johnson v. NCAA District Court Judgement
Legal Updates
Houston Christian University Appeals Judge Wilken’s Denial of Their Motion Against the Proposed House Settlement
In response to Judge Claudia Wilken’s denial of HCU’s motion to intervene and declare the House settlement void last week, HCU has filed an appeal of the decision. Judge Wilken is also the judge tasked with approving the multi-billion dollar settlement that was formally submitted about a week ago.
Judge Wilken denied the motion because 1) HCU’s membership in the NCAA and participation in D-I is entirely “voluntary”; 2) HCU has been on notice of the House litigation since it began in 2020 and could have taken earlier steps to impact the case. - HCU waited to intervene until last month, after a settlement was reached; 3) granting the motion “would delay the resolution” and “derail the parties’ settlement discussions.”; and 4) Judge Wilken doesn’t believe she has jurisdiction to address whether “the NCAA’s actions violate its own constitution, bylaws and rules” as HCU contends.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Optimum Sports Consulting is here to help.
For athletes looking for NIL insight and advisement, administrators and collectives looking for resources and facilitating a best-in class process, or agents looking to navigate the changing landscape, we’re here to help!
Message us now for a free consultation.
FOR ATHLETES
Notes for the Week
UConn WCBB Star, Paige Bueckers, becomes the first college athlete with a signature shoe - LINK
Paige Bueckers signs NIL Deal with Unrivaled Basketball League, becoming the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a league - LINK
NCAA rules that keep Olympians from making money cut Katie Ledecky’s collegiate career short - LINK
Tip of the Week: Be careful about the rights you give to the other party when making NIL agreements.
Schools will have the ability to enter into exclusive agreements with athletes for the use of their NIL as part of the House settlement. However, you SHOULD NOT give a third party exclusive rights to your NIL.
FOR ADMINS
Notes for the Week
Donors to Oklahoma State’s NIL collective will now receive priority points - LINK
Portion of local beer proceeds will go to Maryland’s NIL collective - LINK
Tennessee continues their dominance in the high school QB market - LINK
Tip of the Week: Get Creative and Innovative
With the future of the NCAA and the college landscape in such a state of uncertainty, programs that think outside the box will be rewarded. With so much up in the air from both a legal and organizational standpoint, there is a lot that schools do, and/or attempt to do in, order to get ahead.
Thanks for Reading!
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