College Sports Commission Rejects Over 500 NIL Deals Valued at Nearly $15 Million

The College Sports Commission (CSC) has turned down more than 500 name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals since its evaluation began last summer, totaling nearly $15 million in rejected offers. This figure accounts for over 10% of the total value of all analyzed and approved deals.

As of January 1, the CSC reported that it did not clear 524 deals valued at $14.94 million, while it approved a staggering 17,321 deals worth $127.21 million.

This announcement comes in light of a recent memo sent to athletic directors, highlighting “serious concerns” regarding contracts offered to athletes before they received clearance through the commission's NIL Go platform.

The CSC is responsible for reviewing all deals exceeding $600 proposed by third-party businesses, typically associated with the recruiting schools.

The memo emphasized that the CSC has significant reservations about certain deal terms and their potential consequences for the involved parties. Key reasons for the rejection of deals included lack of a legitimate business purpose, failure to activate a player’s NIL rights effectively, and payments that were disproportionate compared to similar individuals.

Additionally, the memo cautioned athletic directors that signing players to unapproved deals could jeopardize their eligibility and leave them vulnerable to unfulfilled promises.

Other notable statistics from the CSC's report include:

• As of December 31, 10 deals were in arbitration, with eight subsequently withdrawn due to administrative issues at a non-disclosed school.
• 52% of deals submitted to NIL Go were resolved within 24 hours.
• 73% were resolved within a week following the submission of all necessary information.
• 56% of the 10,848 athletes with at least one approved deal are involved in football or men’s basketball.