That Florida State broke NIL rules, what it means for the NCAA and college sports

That Florida State broke NIL rules, what it means for the NCAA and college sports

The abbreviation “NIL” means for “name, image, and likeness.” It was used as a general term when the NCAA made it possible for players to start making money from advertising deals in the second half of 2021.

Soon after, booster-funded none collectives started to form, which raised money to hire and keep the best artists.

Collectives were working without fear until Thursday night’s statement. There are almost 200 of these groups, and the “blue blood” in college sports run on budgets of several million dollars.

Since the beginning of the year, the NCAA has had a hard time punishing schools and boosters. The Miami women’s basketball team got in trouble last winter for inappropriately talking to the Cavinder Twins.

But giving Florida State’s offensive coach Alex Atkins a two-year “show cause” and three-game ban is the NCAA’s harshest punishment for NIL behavior.

It’s also the first one linked to an incentive to hire in the NIL Era. News outlet Yahoo! Sports says that the NCAA’s enforcement team has photos of text messages that sitting head coaches delivered directly to players on other college teams to try to get them to switch schools.

Michael Alford, the sports director at Florida State University, said in a statement, “We are pleased to bring this matter to a close and see this as another step toward strengthening our culture of adherence at Florida State University.”

We are very serious about following the rules, and working together with the NCAA on the present matter shows how committed we are to that goal.

We are still committed to following all NCAA rules, which include separating the backer and the group.

The NCAA has punished Florida State’s football team for not following the rules by NIL. It’s now standard practice to offer top high school students attractive financial deals.

The NCAA said Thursday that the rule was broken when a program assistant coach “facilitated an improper recruiting contact among a transfer candidate and a booster.”

It’s the new Wild West in university sports, and boosters can sign players to advertising deals. However, teachers or athletic department officials can’t help make these deals happen, and backers shouldn’t be involved in the hiring process.

According to the NCAA, the assistant “violated ethical conduct rules” when he gave fake or confusing information about his role in the planned meeting.

The association is punishing Florida State football, a single of its NIL collectives, a booster, and an assistant coach for recruiting violations linked to NIL.

These are the harshest and most unusual punishments given in the first two and a half years of NIL.

Several people who knew about the decision and the punishments spoke to Yahoo Sports without giving their names.

The harsh punishments are connected to a recruiting event in the spring of 2022 and are part of a deal that the school or the NCAA worked out.

Alex Atkins, the offensive coordinator for Florida State, was found to have broken two Level II rules.

These rules include doing illegal marketing and helping an illegal booster make contact with a student.

Atkins is said to have taken a prospect or his parents for a meeting with Rising Spear, a key member of the school’s NIL group.

The NCAA says that during that meeting, the backer urged the prospect to attend at Florida State while offering him a NIL chance that would pay him about $15,000 a month for his first year there.

As part of the punishment, Atkins will miss the first three games in the 2024 season and will have to show cause for two years.

Schools that hire Atkins have to give NCAA officials a reason for their choice. Atkins is likely to keep his job as an employee at FSU.