$1.5 million in unpaid NIL deals see college basketball players sue head coach

College basketball NIL deals take center stage as FSU head coach allegedly promised six players $250,000 each.

$1.5 million in unpaid NIL deals see college basketball players sue head coach

FSU head coach sued for failing to pay college basketball NIL deals worth $250,000 to six players

College basketball continues to enthrall basketball fans when they see different programs compete against each other. It is unlike the NBA where the grind is far too long, and teams play each other multiple times. But just like the NBA, now money in the form of NIL deals has had an impact on how these team’s fare.

NIL deals were scorned at when they were first allowed by the NCAA. However, as time passed, young stars have started to negotiate with colleges based on the amount of money they are offered in these deals.

College recruitment personnel and head coaches have to offer players the best they could get. But even then, players have the option of decommitting when another program comes forward with a better offer. However, there are also instances of coaches not paying the players as promised as reported by ESPN.

The former players allege Hamilton promised them the money from his “business partners.” The lawsuit says they walked out of a practice last season over the missed payments and intended to boycott a Feb. 17 game against Duke. They ended up playing — the Seminoles lost — amid a guarantee from Hamilton that they would be paid but they never were, according to the suit.

ESPN said

According to ESPN, those players jointly sued FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton for not paying them the $250,000 each he had allegedly promised them. Two of those students left the University whereas the rest transferred to other programs.

One such incident happened in college football where UNLV QB Matt Sluka transferred to another program after he was not paid the $100,000 he was promised. This highlights one of the problems of NIL deals where players switch teams if they are not paid.

NBA veterans had warned about NIL deals in college basketball

NIL deals in college basketball has been a hot topic in debates. On one side are young players who feel NIL deals help to alleviate their financial constraints while being paid to play for elite programs. Those elite programs earn millions by fielding said players, hence they want a bite out of the pie.

But veteran basketball stars are not convinced. Charles Barkley openly told NBA Commissioner Adam Silver that NIL deals ruined college sports. He felt that brining in the money factor destroyed the amateur aspect of college basketball.

Along with that, loyalty and recruitment has been thrown out of the window. A notion that was agreed upon by four-time NBA champion Andre Iguodala. The forward felt paying college players is hindering their development that in turn hurts the professional game.