NCAA Will Attempt To Crack Down On NIL

The NCAA will reportedly attempt to rein in NIL.

After not being allowed to profit up until a couple years ago, college athletes are now free and clear to earn money from sources outside of the school.

At a baseline level, it's a great idea. This is America, and people support capitalism in this country. However, there have been some unintended consequences. The transfer portal has turned into the wild west, coaches have lobbed accusations about buying recruiting classes and some athletes haven't been paid.

Former Florida commit Jaden Rashada was reportedly supposed to get $13 million to play for the Gators, but it never happened.

The chaos from that situation and others is forcing the NCAA to crack down. Specifically, the NCAA will now have looser rules of engagement to go after potential NIL violations, according to Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger.

Changes might be coming.

"Investigators can now use circumstantial evidence (like a tip or news story) instead of on-record sourcing to presume a school violated NCAA rules. Schools can disprove the allegation or else be potentially charged. The move strengthens the enforcement staff’s ability to charge schools and allows more leeway for investigators," Dellenger reported.

"If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. Instead of putting the burden on the enforcement staff to always come up with a smoking gun, which we don’t always have, there is a presumption. It puts the burden on the school. It’s a really powerful tool," NCAA vice president of enforcement Jon Duncan explained to attendees at the NCAA’s annual convention a few weeks ago.

Putting his quote with Dellenger's reporting and it's clear the NCAA is going to attempt to get the situation under control.

Can NIL be fixed?

Well, can NIL be fixed or is this the new reality? The major issue seems to be meddling and tampering. UNC coach Mack Brown claimed multiple schools were gunning for a major star on his team.

No player was named, but it was believed Drake Maye was the target. Maye never left the Tar Heels, and denied being offered $5 million to transfer.

That's probably the first thing the NCAA will target.

Drake Maye denied being offered $5 million to leave UNC. Speculation swirled he was being targeted by other teams. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

From there, the NCAA might turn its attention to making sure the money these young men are being promised actually exists.

The problem with that is how do you even do it? The NCAA has no real authority anymore. It's been gutted. Nobody takes it seriously.

If a business says it will pay a kid a certain amount, why would they even answer if the NCAA comes calling? The answer is they wouldn't. There'd be no reason to.

We all love college football, and it's fair to say NIL has spun a bit out of control. However, there's no doubt athletes finally being able to earn money is a net positive.