This blog is set up for the HHP 126, HHP 157, HHP 420, and HHP 428 courses along with other Sports Students as a way to communicate with fellow classmates and faculty members
Iowa's Kirk Ferentz unsure what gambling investigation will reveal
Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterJul 26, 2023, 01:15 PM ET
INDIANAPOLIS -- Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said the investigation into sports wagering at the school does not involve a large number of football players, but he's unsure of what the outcome will be.
Ferentz said he didn't pay much attention to sports wagering until recently, as Iowa and other states legalized gambling and access has increased with mobile apps and other platforms.
"We live in a real different world right now," Ferentz said. "I think what the NFL has done with their rules makes a lot of sense, and I'm hopeful this is an opportunity for the NCAA maybe to reconsider two things: what the quote unquote punishments or penalties might be that are fair and relevant to the world we're living in right now. And then probably the bigger thing is there's an opportunity right now for a lot better education process."
In June, the NCAA announced changes to penalties for athletes who violate its gambling policies. Those found to have engaged in activities to influence the outcome of games they're involved with face a potential permanent loss of eligibility. Athletes who bet on their sport but not on their school could lose up to 50% of one season, while other violations could be penalties based on cumulative dollar value of the wagers.
Ferentz compared wagering to marijuana use as an activity that leads to problems but also must be judged according to societal changes.
"What you don't want is somebody to develop a problem or an issue," Ferentz said. "But gambling is going to exist. It always has. I hope, eventually, the policies will reflect what's best for college athletics. Certainly, not betting on college athletics would be a good starting point."
Women's soccer players file lawsuits against Butler, accuse ex-trainer of sexual assault
Two current women's soccer players at Butler and a former player at the school filed lawsuits Wednesday accusing the team's former trainer of sexually assaulting them and numerous other members of the team, according to copies of the complaints.
The assaults took place during massages that lasted multiple hours and were "perpetrated'' by the trainer, Michael Howell, according to the lawsuits, which refer to the plaintiffs as Jane Does.
The Athletic was the first to report the lawsuits.
During one massage, according to Jane Doe 1's complaint, "Howell began massaging her neck, but he quickly moved down to Ms. Doe's hips and groin, massaged her under her shorts, touched her pubic hair, and rubbed her so forcefully that her groin was bruised and painful the next day.
"Multiple versions of this and other gross misconduct were perpetrated upon Ms. Doe, causing her substantial emotional, physical, and other injuries and damages. Unfortunately, Howell perpetrated similar misconduct on other athletes.''
Some of the massages took place in the trainer's private hotel room at away games, according to the lawsuits.
Butler said it notified law enforcement, removed Howell from campus and suspended him from his job duties, pending investigation, upon being informed of the allegations in September 2021. After a thorough investigation and hearing, according to the school, the trainer was found responsible for violating university policies and terminated in the summer of 2022, according to the school.
"The health, safety, and well-being of our campus community is always our top priority,'' Butler said in a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports. "...Butler looks forward to the opportunity to show the high integrity and responsiveness of the coaches and senior personnel. Because the complaints do not name the plaintiffs and they have not waived federal student privacy protections, Butler is limited from further comment outside of the legal process."
The investigation of Howell took place after Jane Doe 1 and five other ''young women'' informed the school of Howell's misconduct, including the fact that he was surreptitiously photographing and videotaping athletes, according to the complaints.
The named defendants in the lawsuits are the university; Ralph Reiff, Butler's Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Health, Performance and Well-Being; and Howell.
The women are suing for negligence, gross negligence, battery, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Howell was hired by Butler as an assistant athletic trainer in the spring of 2012. During his tenure of almost a decade at the school, he worked with women's soccer, baseball, men's and women's golf, men's tennis and the cheerleading teams, according to the lawsuits.
Big 12 votes unanimously to accept Colorado as new member, sources say
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Pete Thamel, ESPNJul 26, 2023, 05:21 PM ET
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Big 12's presidents and chancellors voted unanimously on a conference call to accept Colorado as a new member on Wednesday night, sources told ESPN.
The vote marks one of the final remaining steps to be completed for Colorado to leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12, a move that's hurtling toward being finalized on Thursday.
Colorado still has not formally applied for Big 12 membership, another of the final formal steps remaining for it to join the league. But Wednesday night's Big 12 vote marks a necessary step toward it joining the conference, a move that's increasingly becoming an inevitability.
A Colorado departure from the Pac-12 would come after the 2023-24 season and coincide with the end of the Pac-12 television deal. That would mean that Colorado would not have to pay any exit fee to the league.
Colorado is expected to formally apply for membership on Thursday, the same day that the school's Board of Regents is holding a "special board meeting" that sources say includes a vote on the move to the Big 12. Sources expect the final steps to be taken on Thursday and a deal to be formalized.
The Big 12 vote comes in the wake of Colorado's board holding an executive board session on Wednesday to discuss the potential move, according to sources. When that was completed, the corresponding move for a public meeting to hold a potential vote on the league change came moments after.
The school announced a "special board meeting" and the agenda is listed as "Action Item: Athletics Operations." A board spokesman told ESPN that an action item indicates a vote will take place.
In the Colorado system, a public meeting is required for a vote on a matter such as switching conferences. A board spokesman confirmed that Thursday's "special board meeting" is public.
Colorado's future with the Pac-12 has been in flux for months amid the conference's protracted television contract negotiations. Colorado also has had the most extensive meetings with the Big 12, as sources told ESPN that the two parties met in May in person to discuss a potential move.
The back-to-back board meetings by Colorado also align with another indicator for a potential move. And they align with Colorado's general unhappiness with the Pac-12, which stretches back to the tenure of former commissioner Larry Scott.
When ESPN asked Colorado athletic director Rick George this week about a potential conference decision, he declined comment. He did express frustration at the Pac-12's inability to put together a television deal, saying he had no meeting scheduled with the league this week.
"We are where we are," George told ESPN. "We've just got to figure it out."
The Colorado board spokesman told ESPN: "There will be no further discussion until the public meeting."
That meeting might end up largely as a formality. The key step remaining for Colorado will be to formally apply to the Big 12, which is typically done with a short email. Public applications to a league are often considered formalities after all votes have been secured.
This potential move comes amid the backdrop of the Pac-12's slow pace toward landing a television deal. Conference members have collectively waited for a television number from commissioner George Kliavkoff.
A source told ESPN's Heather Dinich that the Pac-12 presidents have still not been presented with a media deal, a reoccurring theme over the past few months. Colorado chancellor Phil DiStefano told the Denver Post last week that he was expecting numbers in a meeting prior to the Pac-12's media day last week. Those never materialized.
The potential move marks a return for Colorado to the Big 12, which it was a member of from 1996 to 2010. Colorado left for the Pac-12 in 2011 and has had no bowl wins and just two winning football seasons since then.
George hustled out of Pac-12 media day without commenting last week, fueling suspicions of Colorado's possible move. When asked by ESPN on Tuesday why he wouldn't express solidarity with the Pac-12 like his peers, George said: "It's just who I am. When I have something to say, I'll say it."
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is facing punishment from the NCAA for recruiting violations. (Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports)
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and the NCAA are working toward a negotiated resolution that is expected to see him suspended four games this season in penalties stemming from alleged false statements he originally made to investigators, sources tell Yahoo Sports.
The agreement is an initial version of the negotiated resolution and is not yet finalized. The resolution must now be approved by the NCAA Committee on Infractions, which could take several days if not weeks. The committee has authority to adjust penalties.
Michigan's first four games are all at home, with three against teams from the Group of Five (East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green). On Sept. 23, Michigan hosts a Rutgers team that finished 4-8 last season. The Wolverines, who return several key major pieces from the team that finished 13-1 a season ago, are expected to begin the year inside the top five of the preseason rankings.
Harbaugh's impending suspension is centered on an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations committed by he and Wolverines staff members. The NCAA enforcement staff alleged that Harbaugh was dishonest about the recruiting violations in his initial meeting with investigators. A quick resolution broke down in January after Harbaugh refused to admit that he lied to NCAA staff. The 59-year-old coach has maintained he didn't recall the events when first speaking with investigators but that he was never purposefully dishonest.
The University of Michigan did not immediately respond when asked for comment.
A previous Harbaugh staff member did not escape unscathed. Former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, now the defensive coordinator for Harbaugh's brother John at the Baltimore Ravens, is expected to receive a one-year show-cause penalty. Show-cause penalties make it more difficult for coaches to land jobs in college athletics.
Two current Michigan assistants are also expected to receive sanctions, including offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore and tight ends coach Grant Newsome.
For Harbaugh, the negotiated resolution is a signal that the coach acknowledged some sort of dishonesty. The NCAA considers lying to investigators as a Level I violation, the most serious on the organization's scale. A Level I violation could carry with it a six-game suspension and significant recruiting restrictions, according to NCAA statutes.
Harbaugh's alleged initial cover-up was worse than the crime itself from the NCAA's perspective. In a notice of allegations sent to Michigan last year, the association cited four Level II violations, including meeting with two recruits during a COVID-19 dead period, texting a recruit outside of an allowable time period, having analysts perform on-field coaching duties during practice and having coaches watching players work out via Zoom.
Harbaugh eventually acknowledged that the program committed the Level II violations but refused to sign any document or publicly state that he was ever untruthful with the enforcement staff.
The NCAA defines Level II violations as resulting in "less than a substantial or extensive recruiting, competitive or other advantage." It further calls them "systemic violations that do not amount to lack of institutional control." Punishments are usually minor.
However, lying to investigators is thought of as a much more serious matter. A resolution between the NCAA and Harbaugh seemed distant a few months ago. During two meetings in January, the NCAA and Harbaugh held firm and refused to back down from their positions. The NCAA said the coach lied. The coach said he merely forgot otherwise insignificant actions. An impasse resulted.
All of it occurred during an eventful time for the football program. The Wolverines lost to TCU on New Year's Eve in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. It capped a 13-win season that saw the Wolverines win the Big Ten and defeat Ohio State for the second consecutive year.
Within days, Harbaugh's name emerged again for various NFL head coaching openings, including the Denver Broncos, with whom he spoke. Then news broke of the NCAA infractions case and Harbaugh remained coy about returning to his alma mater for a ninth season.
Later in January, Harbaugh and the university stated he would be back for the 2023 season, but the looming NCAA case remained.
FAMU suspends all football activities after the release of an unauthorized locker room rap video
"The video contained graphic language that is not consistent with Florida A&M's core values, principles, and beliefs," said football coach Willie R. Simmons.
Florida A&M University suspended all football-related activities after a rap music video featuring some of the team's players was recorded without permission in a football locker room.
Head football coach Willie R. Simmons said in a statement Friday night: "The video contained graphic language that is not consistent with Florida A&M's core values, principles, and beliefs.
"Although I am a proud proponent of free speech and support all forms of musical expressions, this football team (as ambassadors of Florida A&M University) has a responsibility to protect the University's image," he said.
An internal investigation is being conducted to determine who allowed the use of the athletic facility.
Simmons told The Associated Press that he would meet with the players visible in the video over the weekend and that a team meeting was scheduled for Monday.
The players in the video were not immediately identified.
Rapper Real Boston Richey, whose name is Jalen Foster, released the video, "Send a Blitz," on Friday. As of Sunday morning, it had accumulated over 311,000 views on YouTube.
Foster, a native of Tallahassee, where Florida A&M is located, wrote on Instagram that the video was recorded in 24 hours. Clips show the inside of a locker room with the FAMU logo on the seating and people donning university apparel.
The licensed apparel in the video "potentially violates university branding and licensing agreements," Simmons said.
"It is a privilege to wear the Orange and Green and as a football program our young men have failed to live up to the standard set before us," he said. "They will all learn from this mishap and we will continue to work hard every day to become the best version of ourselves and continue to make Rattler Nation proud."
Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, has long been known to be working on a piece of federal legislation aimed at addressing NIL in the current state of college athletics.
A day after three U.S. Senators released a bipartisan NIL discussion draft, a source has provided On3 with a draft of Cruz's legislation. The bill, dated July 3, does not have a title yet but would nearly check off every item on NCAA President Charlie Baker's wishlist.
Along with a section focused on liability – all but granting the NCAA an antitrust exemption – the proposed legislation states athletes are not employees and includes a state law preemption. The proposed bill ensures states are barred from enacting laws on compensation, employment status, athlete eligibility or NIL.
It's a surprising move, especially in the context of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott – also a Republican – signing an advantageous state NIL law last month. The new Texas state law was also crafted with significant feedback from both Texas and Texas A&M athletic officials. Additionally, in recent months, a wave of advantageous state NIL laws has been enacted. Texas joins a list that includes Missouri, New York and Oklahoma. The legislation specifically bars the NCAA and conferences from taking action against institutions for NIL activities.
Earlier this week at SEC Football Media Days, Commissioner Greg Sankeybemoaned the need for a federal mandate. He repeatedly mentioned athletes deserve better. Those same state bills also give athletes the chance to work more closely with their institutions, which could provide an advantage in signing more deals or compensation.
Cruz's bill would knock out all of those state bills, along with any hope of California's revenue-sharing bill being enacted. As for athletes, the legislation would create a stricter version of NIL. The final clause of the eight-page document outlines athletes are not employees.
"Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal or State law, a student-athlete shall not be considered an employee of an institution, conference, or interstate intercollegiate athletic association for purposes of (or as a basis for imposing liability on or awarding damages or other monetary relief under) any Federal or State law based on the student-athlete's participation in, or status as a member of, any varsity sports team," the bill states.
A ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Cruz has the position and political clout to push through legislation. But deeming athletes not employees could hold up the bill's process.
The draft gives institutions, conferences and the NCAA cover from any fallout from enforcement, stating the parties that, "complies with this Act and the amendments made by this Act shall not be subject to liability under Federal or State law."
For various reasons over time, certain industries and organized groups have been exempted from the operation of US antitrust laws. These include organized labor, insurance companies, and baseball. The NCAA has long pushed for the same exemption, which would not limit the governing body's power in the collegiate market.
The NCAA would be given the power to establish and enforce rules around recruiting and the transfer portal while knowing state laws would not preempt its ruling. Cruz outlines that the NCAA can remove member institutions, plus restrict an athlete's participation in competition and eligibility.
Ted Cruz does not stop there, though.
NCAA member institutions would be required on an annual basis to provide anonymized data on all NIL deals, specifically the description of services rendered and the amount of compensation provided.
From there, a database would be constructed. As the drafted bill states, "An interstate intercollegiate athletic association shall use the anonymized data provided by member institutions … to establish and maintain a publicly accessible, searchable database for student-athletes and their agents to estimate the fair market value for name, image, and likeness agreements."
The NCAA would be required to "take reasonable technical measures" to ensure athletes would not be identified.
Agents would also be required to register with an intercollegiate athletics association. Any representation that does not register would be required to receive written consent from the athlete.
Will Congress make NIL progress?
Thursday's news of a bipartisan bill led by three senators was encouraging news for the NCAA. The "College Athletes Protection and Compensation Act of 2023" included a state preemption and would establish a federal agency to oversee college athletics.
All of this could be coming too late in the term, though.
Congress is set to begin its August recess on July 28 and is not set to return until Sept. 5. Multiple sources have indicated to On3 the bipartisan bill could just be the first sign of activity aimed at placing NIL guardrails seen from the Hill in the next seven days.
Cruz's drafted bill has yet to be introduced, but it does deliver on many pieces the NCAA has been looking for. Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) could introduce their bill in the coming days, too.
Baker, who took over for Mark Emmert in March, has made repeated trips to Washington, D.C., since taking the job. Democrats and Republicans continue to remain far apart on much of the language being introduced in these bills. One of the main arguments between the two parties has been over classifying athletes as employees.
That could make a path to Cruz's bill generating a real movement tough to predict. Some believe the flood of bills focused on college athletics could cause confusion and create too much debate. The NCAA's NIL subcommittee is set to meet next week in Indianapolis to discuss a Plan B.
But the NCAA and Congress are operating with the presidential election looming. The 2024 election cycle is starting to pick up and party lines will surely be drawn for good by this fall or winter.
"Tuberville should save his time and energy on rushing his own piece of legislation to be introduced before the close of the session," said attorney Darren Heitner, who works on NIL for schools, brands and collectives. "The more bills to be debated, the more distraction if the goal is to actually have a bill passed and put in front of the President."
Three U.S Senators unveil discussion draft of bill addressing NIL issues for NCAA athletes
A bipartisan trio of U.S. senators on Thursday unveiled a discussion draft of a college sports bill that aims to provide a national solution to issues with athletes' money-making activities related to their name, image and likeness, and to establish a set of rules for athletes' short- and long-term health care, their safety and their educational choice.
Under the 50-page draft from Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., those standards would be created, in part, and enforced by a new entity that would be called the "College Athletics Corporation." It would not be a government agency but would be granted investigative and subpoena powers.
The corporation would be charged with creating a formal certification process for people seeking to represent athletes in name, image and likeness (NIL) dealings. It also would maintain a publicly available database showing a variety of data that schools would have to provide annually, including the number, average and total value of athlete endorsement contracts, all broken down by sport, race and ethnicity, and gender.
In addition, the new entity would establish a medical trust fund that athletes could access during and after their playing careers. Money for the fund would come from annual contributions by the NCAA and by schools and conferences that have at least $50 million in yearly revenue.
Under a provision that takes on particular significance amid the recent hazing allegations within the Northwestern University football program, the draft says that within one year of its effective date, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the new corporation, would be required to "establish health, wellness and safety standards to protect college athletes from serious injury and conditions, mistreatment and abuse, and death."
The new corporation would be able to conduct audits, site visits and investigations to verify compliance, and individuals would be subject to a lifetime ban from college sports due to noncompliance.
Moran said during a conference call Thursday afternoon: "What is transpiring, or at least what I read in the press is transpiring, at Northwestern is not something that was contemplated as we drafted this legislation. And so I know of no specific consequence to that investigation."
But how this would work in the future remains to be seen, as does the prospective bill's overall future amid seemingly intractable partisan division, and with Congress facing many other pressing national issues. But Booker, a former Stanford football player; Moran and Blumenthal (along with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.) have been among the U.S. senators most persistent about college sports.
And during Thursday's call, the three expressed optimism about how their joining together could make a difference.
Said Moran: "Our goal has been a product that could get 60 votes in the United States Senate, and we believe we are close to reaching that goal." He added that another Republican has "joined this effort just within the last week," although he did not identify that legislator.
Blumenthal, Moran and Booker all were involved with college-sports bills during the 2021-22 Congressional session. Blumenthal and Booker combined on what they called the "College Athletes Bill of Rights," a revised version of legislation they also introduced in December 2020.
Asked why he and Booker have dropped some pro-athlete provisions from earlier versions of their bills, Blumenthal said: "We are aiming at bipartisan consensus here and what we regard as the most necessary and pressing needs and challenges. And we believe that this consensus will gain the bipartisan majority that we need to pass this legislation and do it soon. …
"We feel a sense of urgency on the issues where we agree wholeheartedly. We can deal with other issues going forward and amend this bill. One of the reasons why we made it a discussion draft is to see whether other issues need to be addressed. So, I don't think we've foreclosed anything, but I don't expect we will necessarily open it in a major way. Legislating is the art of the possible and that's where we're going."
The NCAA and its member conferences and schools have continued to lobby for a measure that would supersede what is now an array of varying state laws connected to NIL enterprises. They also have sought antitrust protection and a legal declaration that athletes are not school employees.
The draft announced Thursday does not appear to give the NCAA either of those latter two items on its wish list, nor does it directly address the NCAA's desire for the creation of a standardized NIL contract for athletes.
But it does expressly preempt state NIL laws and states that the new corporation's purposes include serving "as a clearinghouse for best practices with respect to rights and protections of college athletes who enter into agency contracts and endorsement contracts."
Two members of the House of Representatives from Ohio – Reps. Mike Carey, R, and Greg Landsman, D – introduced a bill in May concerning college athletes' NIL activities that proposes to work partially within the framework of the Federal Trade Commission.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data and Commerce, also released a discussion draft in May. That version also calls for a new oversight entity. In addition, Sens. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., have been working on yet another draft.
The NCAA said in statement Thursday: "… we are working with Congress to implement nationwide protections to improve outcomes for all 500,000 college athletes. There is clearly bipartisan support for these measures, and the Association looks forward to cooperating with stakeholders to advance student-athletes' interests. We are pleased to see the legislative outline includes many of the elevated membership standards put in place by NCAA members earlier this year."
The draft version announced Thursday proposes far-reaching changes that go well beyond NIL and — in several aspects, farther than the NCAA has in its recent changes — continuing concepts that Blumenthal, Moran and Booker, in varying forms, have proposed previously:
▶The medical trust fund would cover athletes' out-of-pocket expenses for injuries suffered while playing and for four years after they stop playing college sports. It also would cover athletes "diagnosed with significant long-term conditions related to their participation in college athletics."
▶Schools' employment of athletic trainers and team physicians would be required to be "independent from the athletic department" and they would be required to have "the autonomous, unchallengeable authority" to make return-to-play decisions.
▶Third parties would be allowed to give athletes "reasonable food, rent, medical expenses or insurance" and "reasonable transportation" for themselves, friends or family members any time they are experiencing "a physical or mental health concern," or when they are participating in game.
▶Athletes would be able to return to college sports after going through a pro draft if they don't take money from a league, team or agent and declare their intent to resume their college careers no later than seven days after the draft.
▶Athletics department employees would be prohibited from attempting to "discourage" an athlete from "selecting a course or an academic major" of the athlete's choice.
▶Schools would be required to annually make public "academic outcomes and majors" for athletes by sport, race and ethnicity, and gender.
ARLINGTON, Texas – From seismic conference realignment to the birth of the NIL Era and the College Football Playoff, Joe Castiglione has seen the college sports enterprise flipped on its head since he assumed Oklahoma's athletic director role 25 years ago.
And he knows more consequential change is ahead.
In a lengthy interview with the venerable athletic director, whose Sooners are embarking on their final year in the Big 12 before departing for the SEC, Castiglione discussed why he believes its perilous to merely rely on Congress for a lifeline, what the future collegiate model should entail and why student-athletes need a voice in helping to reimagine the paradigm.
NCAA President Charlie Baker and stakeholders have been aggressively lobbying Congress for a federal bill that, ideally for them, would preempt state NIL laws, grant limited antitrust protection and include a formal designation that student-athletes are not employees. That said, Castiglione echoed comments his commissioner, Brett Yormark, made to On3 that it's necessary for stakeholders to explore a backup plan because federal legislation is "not a slam dunk."
It's time to explore a Plan B.
"Exactly," Castiglione said. "And [a Plan] C and D and E. There has to be scenario planning. We always talk about something after it is passed. Why are we letting that happen? Get in front of this."
Getting in front of it would enable the NCAA and/or stakeholders the chance to have a hands-on role in reshaping the model, rather than having it dictated to them by another entity, be it a federal judge or the National Labor Relations Board, etc. Currently, the NCAA's NIL subcommittee has been tasked with exploring a Plan B – specifically related to NIL reform – if efforts with Congress fall short.
Castiglione's views are notable because he specifically references the need to figure out an evolved model "with" the student-athletes as part of that process.
"We need to embrace what we think the best solution is for the role of how we involve athletes in the future," he said. "We need to help figure that out with them and for them."
'The NIL world is not going to solve it by itself'
Yormark, when asked by On3 on Wednesday whether it's time to at least model out what a revenue-sharing enterprise would entail, said, "We are not there yet."
When asked the same question Thursday, Castiglione said: "Some type of way. People really don't – they are risk-averse to using certain terms [revenue sharing]. So, however, it is articulated, that is what I meant about they have to be part of the solution, to be able to engage them in ways. The NIL world is not going to solve it by itself.
"I actually think there is going to be a time very soon – I may be wrong on this – where for us to sustain this, it's going to have to involve more involvement by the athletic programs because right now we are [largely prevented]. It's one of the – not the only – but one of the only strategies that has some level of sustainability to it. There could be rules around it, guardrails. There could be very bright lines. We can figure all that out. But I just don't see any other way in the long run. I actually think it could be a very good thing as well. With whatever is permitted, we can help athletes."
West Virginia football Coach Neal Brown on Thursday told On3 that, because of escalating media rights revenue, "players deserve a piece of that pie." Without drilling down on specifics, Castiglione endorses exploring ambitious, bold ideas. The moment demands that an industry largely unfamiliar with forward-thinking innovation and rapid responses needs to think in unconventional, progressive ways.
"We are doing as much as we can now in education and helping them [student-athletes] realize they are CEO of a company, if you will, when they are interested," Castiglione said. "But if we can represent them at some point in certain ways. I'm not trying to create necessarily agent relationships but there are ways we can involve them as part of their experience. I think there could be opportunities, whether it goes through some of the vehicles we have now – Alston, cost of attendance, a licensing fee – I'm not limiting anything at the moment. We are representing the whole program, with them being part of it, and this is what goes with your experience at a university. We can share something with you because of that because we are representing you no different than the way we are representing the program itself – you're part of the program.
"There are going to be – I'm not a lawyer, they'll find ways to shoot holes in any of these ideas – but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be forthcoming with big, bold ideas. We don't know what can work and how it can work until we start putting them on the table and then start hashing out what is doable and what isn't."
Castiglione says time to evolve model 'has to be now'
Joe Castiglione believes that federal legislation is an answer, but not the only answer needed to address a dynamic, fast-evolving landscape. The NIL subcommittee is exploring a potential draft of a proposal while major stakeholders continue to lobby federal lawmakers for a federal bill. The work of the subcommittee does not represent a pivot in strategy, a source with direct knowledge of the strategy told On3.
"Let's face it, the whole world that we revolve around is the student-athlete. Period," Castiglione said. "That is why we exist. Without them, [we] don't need any of us. So, let's figure out what we can do to help them in the widest sense possible to be successful and embrace a new world and help to find the path forward. I think they will appreciate it."
Castiglione said it's critical to bring the "best thought leaders" to the table to figure out how to reshape a model that realizes the future vision for the enterprise. He acknowledged "many complexities," referencing both the politics that exist within the NCAA and fast-evolving state NIL laws.
"Acknowledge that," he said. "Don't use that as a crutch. Figure out a way to navigate it. No one is asking anyone to break laws or break rules or anything like that. Figure this out. That has got to be our charge."
Castiglione conceded what he called "some baked-in issues" that may be unsolvable. That speaks to more than 1,100 member institutions operating under one proverbial Big Tent. The disparate resources, budgets, coaches' salaries, missions, philosophies and athlete recruiting strategies all make consensus difficult, if not impossible. Division III Cal Tech Athletic Director Betsy Mitchell best encapsulated the dynamic last year when she succinctly asked: "Why are we still trying to stick together?"
"Part of it is our own membership association, just the way we have traditionally gone about making rules or dealing with issues," Castiglione said. "There are people sitting around tables that represent the wide interests of an association. They don't all have the same challenges. We get that people have some common interests. But they can't be solved in that broad of a way. So, you have a baked-in challenge to move some big ideas forward. We have got to figure out how we are going to do that. I think the timing has to be now. I don't think this is 'Wait until it evolves.'"
Eyeing the future college athletics model, Castiglione added, "We're not going back. We can wish it all we want. We are not going back to the way it was. But what is the way of the future?"
