NIL Newsletter #136 | Nevada's Shady New Bill, Collective Consolidation, + ICYMI
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for student athletes, administrators, agents and other sport professionals.
Recapping NIL This Week:
Nevada Introduces Controversial NIL Bill
The Nevada Senate introduced Senate Bill No. 70 this week, which would revise the state’s current name, image, and likeness law. The bill would require any individual or entity facilitating NIL deals in Nevada to register annually with the Secretary of State.
The controversy arises because the Nevada Secretary of State, Francisco Aguilar (pictured above), is also the founder of Blueprint Sports. Blueprint Sports creates and assists NIL collectives for schools across the across the nation, including: Penn State, Villanova, Toledo, and Ohio.
Aguilar, under the new proposed legislation, would have the ability to investigate NIL violations, issue subpoenas, and impose sanctions of up to $50,00 for violations of the new bill.
The bill would also make high-value NIL disclosures public information.
The full story is available HERE.
Collectives Look to Consolidate
TCU-focused Think NIL made headlines last summer when they absorbed KF NIL, another TCU-focused collectives.
Earlier this week, the collective announced an indefinite pause to their operations, after their Vice President of Operations, Brent Cunningham, took a position with LSU’s newly launched Bayou Traditions collective.
Despite gaining traction with TCU student athletes after an early launch, signing players such as NFL Draft hopeful Quentin Johnson, Think NIL struggled to raise funds to support its student-athletes.
The Flying T Club, another TCU-focused collective, appeared to have no such issues, raising over $3 million, even before TCU football’s run to the national championship game.
There is little clarity at this stage as to the next step for Think NIL, but there appear to be two options:
A merger with The Flying T Club; or
Releasing student-athletes, who would be free to sign with The Flying T Club.
More on the story is available HERE.
ICYMI Ticker
Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban had a few choice words for a recruit seeking NIL guarantees: “I told him he can find another place to play. I’m not paying a kid a bunch of NIL money before he earns it.” LINK
Saban also said that a current player “wanted $500K and for us to get his girlfriend into law school at Alabama and pay for it. I showed him the door.” LINK
AAC Commissioner Michael Aresco had similar thoughts: “I don’t know why we’re calling it NIL anymore. It’s pay to play. It’s pay to recruit. It’s pay to retain.” LINK
Bayou Traditions was named the official collective of LSU. They will also be the presenting sponsor of the athletic department’s digital content platform LSU GOLD. LINK
Iowa partnered with Opendorse to launch the Iowa Hawkeyes NIL Marketplace. LINK
Souther Indiana partnered with Icon Source to launch their own NIL marketplace. LINK
Houston Football Head Coach Dana Holgorsen reacted to the NCAA memo on NIL enforcement: “I'll believe it when I see it. I don't see any enforcing out there.” LINK
NBC Sports launched its first team-wide fan club featuring the Loyola Chicago Men’s Basketball team. LINK