Alexander Brown
As the NIL landscape continues to evolve, there are currently many more questions than answers regarding the long-term model. Mike Krzyzewski spent 42 years coaching men’s basketball at Duke before retiring at the end of the 2021-22 season when the NIL was just getting started.
The Hall of Famer is still involved with the Blue Devils as an ambassador for the university and recently shared his thoughts on the current state and uncertain future of college athletics and basketball with CBS Sports.
“I don’t think there’s a clear path to where this is going because a lot of this is tied to lawsuits with the NCAA,” Krzyzewski, speaking before a event for the V Foundation, told CBS Sports. “Different conference realignments, lawsuits, you don’t have a parent organization that’s really leading college sports right now.
“All of these things, hopefully some of them will be resolved this summer, the legal issues. Once the legal issues are resolved, hopefully a new structure for doing things will be formed. Then you can get some semblance of order. Right now, really there is no order.”
In April, the NCAA officially said schools can facilitate NIL agreements with third parties — but not pay players directly. Nothing is currently black or white, and Congress has debated whether players should be considered employees of their respective universities.
There is also the House v. NCAA lawsuits and other antitrust cases whose main argument is how the NCAA limits compensation and whether or not there is an unlawful restraint of trade.
NIL is a complex situation with multiple pieces involved and no set standard on how to do anything, despite several deals reaching six figures and some having an even higher valuation. The lack of uniformity across the country and the current legal disputes make the situation chaotic, but Krzyzewski is hopeful that everything will turn out well in the end.
“NIL is a really good concept that went beyond what anyone at the NCAA could have imagined,” he said. “There’s no transparency and there’s no guardrails, but overall it’s a good idea.”
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Another hot topic of conversation in college athletics is the transfer portal, as NIL opportunities have become another thing to consider for players looking for a new school. NCAA transfer rules typically dictate that a transfer player has to sit out a year, however, that will no longer be the case. Also in April, the NCAA announced that student-athletes will be allowed unlimited transfers with immediate eligibility.
“It’s a good idea, but we have almost 3,000 Division I and II men’s players who have accessed the transfer portal,” Krzyzewski said. “That represents well over a quarter of all young men playing in Division I and Division II.
“It is what it is, along with NIL. It’s difficult to make predictions. If I knew who was leading and in charge, I think I would be better able to make some level of prediction, but you or I can’t say who is in charge because we don’t There’s no one in charge, which is kind of scary.”
