Nick Saban, Caitlin Clark Trading Cards, Oregon Collective Title IX Lawsuit, + ICYMI | NIL Newsletter #221
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Quick Hitters:
Nick Saban Shares Motivations Behind Retirement
Legendary Coach Nick Saban retired this off-season, and this past week, he shared some of his motivations for making the call.
Part of his decision was the team reaction after the Rose Bowl loss: “I was really disappointed in the way that the players acted after the game. You gotta win with class. You gotta lose with class.”
Even larger was the new landscape of college football: “I thought we could have a hell of a team next year, and then maybe 70 or 80 percent of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things: What assurances do I have that I'm going to play because they're thinking about transferring, and how much are you going to pay me?”
Alabama AD Greg Byrne compared the coaching change to replacing other legendary coaches, with a twist: “When you're approaching a historic transition like that, you think about when Coach [Bear] Bryant retired, when John Wooden retired, but it's also different now because of the transfer portal and NIL.”
Caitlin Clark Inks Exclusive Deal with Panini
Earlier this week, Clark became the all-time leading scorer in Division-I basketball, passing LSU’s “Pistol” Pete Maravich.
Just a few days later, Clark announced a new deal with Panini America.
“It’s an honor to partner with Panini America as their first multi-year exclusive female athlete, and I’m excited to collaborate with them on my own collection,” Clark said.
The exclusive deal officially begins on April 1st. Clark previously partnered with Topps.
Caitlin is a generational talent, and it is natural that she should be our first multi-year exclusive female athlete,” Senior Vice President of Marketing and Athlete Relations Jason Howarth said.
Oregon Denies Control Over Collective In Title IX Lawsuit
Late last year, a group of 32 current and former Oregon women’s beach volleyball athletes and rowers filed a Title IX lawsuit against Oregon, alleging that Oregon systematically failed to equal athletic financial aid and other financial opportunities—primarily in NIL support from the collective.
The University filed their answer to the complain earlier this week, where it denied having “any control” or direction over NIL collectives, including the Phil Knight-backed Division Street.
Other defenses filed by Oregon include the fact that 11 of the 32 athletes have now graduated, while 5 others are no longer enrolled.
ICYMI
John Paxson, who won 3 NBA Titles with the Bulls, is joining Golden Touch, the Notre Dame focused collective. LINK
Sporting KC hosted the Missouri Women’s Soccer Team through an NIL partnership with Sporting U. LINK
The Friends of UNLV Collective is seeking ways to source NIL funds from Las Vegas casinos. LINK
Have you checked out OSC’s website?
Head to www.OptimumSportsConsulting.com to find important resources and features relating to all things NIL. These resources include State by State Resources for Admins, Agents and Athletes, including our initial “OSC Summaries” for over a dozen states coming soon.
More to come too, including links to helpful state information- agency laws and information about school policies, as well as seminar/congressional notes, worksheets, and much more!