Ready for More College Football Chaos?

[Jon Joseph]

 

If Wisconsin loses its lawsuit against Miami, then is any direct revenue share contract between a school and an adult player enforceable?

 

If not enforceable, the transfer portal timelines are meaningless. So long as another school is willing to enroll a player, a player may 'transfer' whenever he and his agents so desire.

 

So says the player's attorney, and by lack of any response to date, so says the University of Miami.

 

As the CBS Sports article points out, in the NFL, tampering has consequences. The Dolphins were fined $1.5 million for tampering with Tom Brady. 

 

 

Behind the Wisconsin v. Miami tampering lawsuit over transfer DB Xavier Lucas that was months in the making - CBSSports.com

WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM

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And what comes next could -- stop us if you've heard this before -- change college football

 

Note that the contract the player signed was the standard for direct revenue share agreements approved by the Big Ten. 

 

One issue to be resolved, if the case goes to judgment and is not settled, is that the agreement, consistent with the NCAA's head-in-the-sand approach of not referring to the recipients of revenue sharing as 'employees', does not refer to the player as such.

 

The contract is an assignment of an athlete's Name, Image, and Likeness for the term of the agreement. 

 

As the B1G is responsible for approving the form of the contract, it isn't surprising that the conference is supporting Wisconsin's lawsuit. 

 

You've got to know when to fold up. I am not aware of any law that requires colleges and universities to offer athletic scholarships and to fund athletic teams. 

 

As I asked in another post on this subject, is it time for schools to inform the world that this is it for college-supported athletics? Or at least this is it for anything other than an Ivy League no-athletic-scholarships approach? 

 

Do this, and I think Congress may be forced to act. Or, teams will be granted the use of a school's trademark, but the teams will be minor league professional teams for the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, etc.  

[30Duck]

On 6/23/2025 at 10:22 AM, Jon Joseph said:

Do this, and I think Congress may be forced to act. Or, teams will be granted the use of a school's trademark, but the teams will be minor league professional teams for the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, etc.  

This is where it's headed, and it's all because 50 years ago the NCAA latched onto its "Student-Athlete" model and would not let go. Penalize players for getting jobs, or loans to buy a hamburger. Meanwhile the coaches and schools. conferences, TV networks are making $$$, but they're professionals. Now, because the NCAA has been inert, the players are professionals in every sense of the word.

 

Back in the day players wanted to play for their school. It meant something to them. But then we got the players skipping "meaningless" bowl games to protect their NFL viability. Now players are coming to the school that will give them the best NIL deal. Money is driving the Playoff structure, and the players don't have to wait for the NFL to "show them the money"

 

 

[Fitnessczar]

And now much like the NBA went through. The rookies, I mean freshman, are getting ridiculous contracts without showing that can play at the new level.

 

As this unfolds. There will need to be limits set in place as what a freshman can be given.

[DanLduck]

Perhaps this is why the NBA is less talented, too much $$ before developing real talent. The result is viewership has crashed. 

 

The NIL has lifted parity and better play as athletes stay longer. Will it continue if too much $$ goes to unproven freshmen?

 

JJ, you are right. Something has to give soon or we will be in constant court cases indefinitely. 

 

The obvious conclusion seems to be admitting to students as employees and form a union as all the pro leagues. 

 

Not to be political, but has congress ever intervened to make anything better? Besides they move at a glacial pace. This is one of the few instances where individual states appreciate their ability to govern themselves and not rely on federal direction. 

[Mike West]

On 6/23/2025 at 10:22 AM, Jon Joseph said:

As I asked in another post on this subject, is it time for schools to inform the world that this is it for college-supported athletics? Or at least this is it for anything other than an Ivy League no-athletic-scholarships approach? 

 

Do this, and I think Congress may be forced to act. Or, teams will be granted the use of a school's trademark, but the teams will be minor league professional teams for the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, etc.  

Wow,

 

The thought hadn’t occurred to me.  Pull scholarships and just hold intramural tryouts for positions!  Field a brigade of Joes for a year! I wonder if fans would go for that.  Just to stick it to lawyers and players.  
 

It would be comical to watch a bunch of kids G5 caliber playing for Blue Bloods. If fans had the patience to let that play out, man.  Who cares what Fox, CBS, ESPN and NBC think.  
 

Too bad that won’t happen.  
 

It’s getting to the point I might only watch games I put money on.  Which I wouldn’t really do.  I’d just want the results of the game in that case.  Since it’s all about money, who cares who the players are, I just want my money. 

[Washington Waddler]

     Question: if this sea-change were to happen from student-athlete amateurs to paid athletic professionals, mandating - of necessity - contract-based bargaining between unionized athletes and universities, could that create the conditions under which an antitrust law suit might be enacted by less wealthy universities banding together to challenge the monopoly of wealthy universities who control the market place for high school athletes and transfers?