Discussion on Article Today in PS on NIL and Weitsman

[sutomcat]

The Post Standard has a good article on NIL and AW this morning about NCAA crackdown on boosters. It’s a good read and has comments from several people.

I read the article. Really wish someone who was a better writer tackled the subject.

Carlson stressed the importance of the NCAA rule change that finally allows them to take circumstantial evidence into account when performing investigations and says this could be a big factor in getting Syracuse into trouble with the NCAA.

And ignores the fact that Adam Weitsman has been exceptionally open on everything he is doing from day one.

This, IMHO, is what makes Adam fundamentally different from 99% of the people paying athletes today under the guise of NIL. And it makes the central point of his story, the importance of the policy change to consider circumstantial evidence, essentially moot.

Chris should have been impartial enough to discuss this in his story and should have had the impressive group of experts he interviewed for his story discuss this.

As well as the difficulty Syracuse and all other schools are encountering dealing with the NCAA. He should have discussed how the NCAA ignored NIL for an extended period, the vacuum this bizarre decision caused, and how the lack of oversight and guidance encouraged boosters to do anything they wanted.

Weitsman and other Syracuse boosters got involved in NIL because other schools were using it extensively to get better players on their teams. NIL was making a major impact on the Syracuse basketball program and if Syracuse was to remain competitive, he and others had to do something to level the playing field.

Trying to paint Weitsman as an extreme figure in NIL is easy because he is basically the only one doing this above board. But it is lazy and inaccurate and disingenuous.

 

[Consigliere]

I read the article. Really wish someone who was a better writer tackled the subject.

Carlson stressed the importance of the NCAA rule change that finally allows them to take circumstantial evidence into account when performing investigations and says this could be a big factor in getting Syracuse into trouble with the NCAA.

And ignores the fact that Adam Weitsman has been exceptionally open on everything he is doing from day one.

This, IMHO, is what makes Adam fundamentally different from 99% of the people paying athletes today under the guise of NIL. And it makes the central point of his story, the importance of the policy change to consider circumstantial evidence, essentially moot.

Chris should have been impartial enough to discuss this in his story and should have had the impressive group of experts he interviewed for his story discuss this.

As well as the difficulty Syracuse and all other schools are encountering dealing with the NCAA. He should have discussed how the NCAA ignored NIL for an extended period, the vacuum this bizarre decision caused, and how the lack of oversight and guidance encouraged boosters to do anything they wanted.

Weitsman and other Syracuse boosters got involved in NIL because other schools were using it extensively to get better players on their teams. NIL was making a major impact on the Syracuse basketball program and if Syracuse was to remain competitive, he and others had to do something to level the playing field.

Trying to paint Weitsman as an extreme figure in NIL is easy because he is basically the only one doing this above board. But it is lazy and inaccurate and disingenuous.

It’s disturbing to me that “NIL” is being painted with a broad brush. There are three components to what is going on here:

1. NIL deals with current, enrolled student athletes. I have no issue with these types of deals in almost all cases. In my mind, this is what the initiative is all about.

2. NIL deals with prospective student athletes. While guidelines say deals in this category cannot be used as recruiting inducements, the lack of guidelines has become a farce. Contractually obligating a player to “maintain a residence in the Gainesville, Florida market” or “do charity work in the 315 or 607 area codes” is in accordance with the letter of the law but not the spirit. The genie is out of the bottle here and I don’t think there is a remedy. I think we have to just hold our noses and accept it.
3. NIL deals with student athletes in, or considering, the transfer portal. To me, this is by far the most detrimental of the three and the impetus for JB’s complaints. It also drives up the cost of the first scenario when an Isaiah Wong says he is going to portal unless Miami takes care of him. NIL and the portal can be a great value to the student athlete, but when Nijel Pack announces within hours that he has entered the portal, signed with Miami and inked an $850k NIL deal it is pretty apparent what has taken place. Kansas State players, coaches, administrators and fans were materially harmed by this move. This is where the NCAA needs to step in using the new extensive circumstantial evidence standard to rein things in substantially. And if they can’t do it in regard to NIL, maybe the transfer rules need to be tightened or NIL prohibited in the first year following transfers.
We are all for college players being granted more rights to better themselves, but it can be done with causing harm to the individual programs and to the quality of the game. Even the professional leagues strike a balance with player contracts and payroll constraints.

 

[MikeSU02]

I read the article. Really wish someone who was a better writer tackled the subject.

Carlson stressed the importance of the NCAA rule change that finally allows them to take circumstantial evidence into account when performing investigations and says this could be a big factor in getting Syracuse into trouble with the NCAA.

And ignores the fact that Adam Weitsman has been exceptionally open on everything he is doing from day one.

This, IMHO, is what makes Adam fundamentally different from 99% of the people paying athletes today under the guise of NIL. And it makes the central point of his story, the importance of the policy change to consider circumstantial evidence, essentially moot.

Chris should have been impartial enough to discuss this in his story and should have had the impressive group of experts he interviewed for his story discuss this.

As well as the difficulty Syracuse and all other schools are encountering dealing with the NCAA. He should have discussed how the NCAA ignored NIL for an extended period, the vacuum this bizarre decision caused, and how the lack of oversight and guidance encouraged boosters to do anything they wanted.

Weitsman and other Syracuse boosters got involved in NIL because other schools were using it extensively to get better players on their teams. NIL was making a major impact on the Syracuse basketball program and if Syracuse was to remain competitive, he and others had to do something to level the playing field.

Trying to paint Weitsman as an extreme figure in NIL is easy because he is basically the only one doing this above board. But it is lazy and inaccurate and disingenuous.

You really think Weitsman is "fundamentally different from 99% of the people paying athletes..." and "... is basically the only one doing this above board"?

You believe that?

 

[sutomcat]

You really think Weitsman is "fundamentally different from 99% of the people paying athletes..." and "... is basically the only one doing this above board"?

You believe that?

I know of no one else who is posting everything he is doing with NIL on social media.

I am not big on social media though.

It sounds like you are very knowledgeable on this topic and can educate me. Please let me know a couple dozen others who are handling NIL like Adam. I would like to check out their accounts.

 

[Consigliere]

You really think Weitsman is "fundamentally different from 99% of the people paying athletes..." and "... is basically the only one doing this above board"?

You believe that?

Personally I think there are three things that differentiate Adam from others:
1. He has done his due diligence on compliance and hired a leading attorney in the field to advise him on the topic. cuseallday can certainly provide perspective but there is a reason he waited almost 18 months to engage. And it’s not because he can finally fund it with last month’s lottery winnings.
2. To our knowledge he started by working with current players, and has now started working with high school level prospective student athletes. He has not been engaged with transfer portal candidates. If he does that to the level that it appears to be an inducement to leave a current school, my support will dissipate.
3. Adam is a globally recognized influencer and mentor to young entrepreneurs. I imagine this is in line with his giving back philosophy. Beyond the financial aspects there is a great symbiotic relationship being formed with these young men with a value that goes way beyond sports. I feel pretty comfortable saying that you can count on one hand the number of college sports boosters who can make the same claim.

 

[NYCCuse826]

It’s disturbing to me that “NIL” is being painted with a broad brush. There are three components to what is going on here:

1. NIL deals with current, enrolled student athletes. I have no issue with these types of deals in almost all cases. In my mind, this is what the initiative is all about.

2. NIL deals with prospective student athletes. While guidelines say deals in this category cannot be used as recruiting inducements, the lack of guidelines has become a farce. Contractually obligating a player to “maintain a residence in the Gainesville, Florida market” or “do charity work in the 315 or 607 area codes” is in accordance with the letter of the law but not the spirit. The genie is out of the bottle here and I don’t think there is a remedy. I think we have to just hold our noses and accept it.
3. NIL deals with student athletes in, or considering, the transfer portal. To me, this is by far the most detrimental of the three and the impetus for JB’s complaints. It also drives up the cost of the first scenario when an Isaiah Wong says he is going to portal unless Miami takes care of him. NIL and the portal can be a great value to the student athlete, but when Nijel Pack announces within hours that he has entered the portal, signed with Miami and inked an $850k NIL deal it is pretty apparent what has taken place. Kansas State players, coaches, administrators and fans were materially harmed by this move. This is where the NCAA needs to step in using the new extensive circumstantial evidence standard to rein things in substantially. And if they can’t do it in regard to NIL, maybe the transfer rules need to be tightened or NIL prohibited in the first year following transfers.
We are all for college players being granted more rights to better themselves, but it can be done with causing harm to the individual programs and to the quality of the game. Even the professional leagues strike a balance with player contracts and payroll constraints.

NIL is being painted with a broad brush because of how the NCAA implemented it. Everything they touch, turns to . It has become pay for play instead of letting athletes seek out marketing opportunities if there's a demand for them.

 

[MikeSU02]

I know of no one else who is posting everything he is doing with NIL on social media.

I am not big on social media though.

It sounds like you are very knowledgeable on this topic and can educate me. Please let me know a couple dozen others who are handling NIL like Adam. I would like to check out their accounts.

I want to be clear - I don't think AW is doing anything wrong and is above board, as much as anyone can be. I want to be VERY clear. Im from Bing area and appreciate the money and effort he pumps back into the area. I love that hes getting us recruits.

My point is that I think a number of wealthy people that are supporters are like him across the country, but just dont post as much publicly about it.

That's my point. People can game the system to be above board by the hair of their chin now. And it can come off as scummy, devious, etc, but still be technically legal.

So, give me 10 more AW's.

 

[Consigliere]

NIL is being painted with a broad brush because of how the NCAA implemented it. Everything they touch, turns to . It has become pay for play instead of letting athletes seek out marketing opportunities if there's a demand for them.

Couldn’t agree more, but if there is to be ramped up enforcement it has to start with transfer inducements.

 

[MikeSU02]

Personally I think there are three things that differentiate Adam from others:
1. He has done his due diligence on compliance and hired a leading attorney in the field to advise him on the topic. cuseallday can certainly provide perspective but there is a reason he waited almost 18 months to engage. And it’s not because he can finally fund it with last month’s lottery winnings.
2. To our knowledge he started by working with current players, and has now started working with high school level prospective student athletes. He has not been engaged with transfer portal candidates. If he does that to the level that it appears to be an inducement to leave a current school, my support will dissipate.
3. Adam is a globally recognized influencer and mentor to young entrepreneurs. I imagine this is in line with his giving back philosophy. Beyond the financial aspects there is a great symbiotic relationship being formed with these young men with a value that goes way beyond sports. I feel pretty comfortable saying that you can count on one hand the number of college sports boosters who can make the same claim.

I think you took it the wrong way - I dont think AW is doing anything wrong. But I think AW is far from the only one that is not doing anything wrong.

It's easier to be above board now, or above board enough.

Give me ten more AWs. Please.

Im from the southern tier, Im not knocking the guy. Ive had people that I went to HS with that worked for him.

 

[Consigliere]

I want to be clear - I don't think AW is doing anything wrong and is above board, as much as anyone can be. I want to be VERY clear. Im from Bing area and appreciate the money and effort he pumps back into the area. I love that hes getting us recruits.

My point is that I think a number of wealthy people that are supporters are like him across the country, but just dont post as much publicly about it.

That's my point. People can game the system to be above board by the hair of their chin now. And it can come off as scummy, devious, etc, but still be technically legal.

So, give me 10 more AW's.

Lived in the Binghamton area for 40 years so can certainly attest to the good works. In fact I worked for a while in a building he owned when our office was above the Lost Dog downtown. I think diving in to the NIL cesspool was more of a necessity than an attempt to gain a competitive advantage, and if this is indeed the brave new world, I am thankful to have Adam on our side.

 

[MikeSU02]

Loved in the Binghamton area for 40 years so can certainly attest to the good works. In fact I worked for a while in a building he owned when our office was above the Lost Dog downtown. I think diving in to the NIL cesspool was more of a necessity than an attempt to gain a competitive advantage, and if this is indeed the brave new world, I am thankful to have Adam on our side.

Ah Lost Dog!!

Unfortunately I've spent many more nights at The Rat and JTs than Lost Dog... haha. Not anymore, of course.

 

[pwong]

I know of no one else who is posting everything he is doing with NIL on social media.

I am not big on social media though.

It sounds like you are very knowledgeable on this topic and can educate me. Please let me know a couple dozen others who are handling NIL like Adam. I would like to check out their accounts.

I think AW wants it public to not hide anything if he gets in trouble. Everything he does seems to be vetted with SU compliance and NIL lawyers.

My only issue with the publicness is the NIL deal amounts, where others can use that number as leverage however they see fit (similar to how people would use Glassdoor salaries).

 

[sutomcat]

I want to be clear - I don't think AW is doing anything wrong and is above board, as much as anyone can be. I want to be VERY clear. Im from Bing area and appreciate the money and effort he pumps back into the area. I love that hes getting us recruits.

My point is that I think a number of wealthy people that are supporters are like him across the country, but just dont post as much publicly about it.

That's my point. People can game the system to be above board by the hair of their chin now. And it can come off as scummy, devious, etc, but still be technically legal.

So, give me 10 more AW's.

You disagreed with me saying Adam was unique in that he is being very public regarding his activities with NIL. Sounds like you are backing down from that now, which is fine.

I agree there are many who are contributing similar money, sometimes more money, than Adam has. But they are being quiet about it.

I expect this article and the fallout from it will result in Adam shutting down his NIL activities. All the back room dealing by all the other schools that have embraced NIL from the start will continue and only Syracuse and the kids Adam was trying to help will be affected.

Maybe the NCAA will now start up their first investigation over NIL 'violations' (still don't think they have set up formal rules) on Syracuse. Yes, Syracuse started on NIL 18 months later than the rest of the college athletics world and horror of horrors, ended up with a verbal from one top 70 player for basketball. No doubt this needs to be severely punished as it is the worst thing that has ever happened in college sports.

Sigh.

 

[Cusefan0307]

You disagreed with me saying Adam was unique in that he is being very public regarding his activities with NIL. Sounds like you are backing down from that now, which is fine.

I agree there are many who are contributing similar money, sometimes more money, than Adam has. But they are being quiet about it.

I expect this article and the fallout from it will result in Adam shutting down his NIL activities. All the back room dealing by all the other schools that have embraced NIL from the start will continue and only Syracuse and the kids Adam was trying to help will be affected.

Maybe the NCAA will now start up their first investigation over NIL 'violations' (still don't think they have set up formal rules) on Syracuse. Yes, Syracuse started on NIL 18 months later than the rest of the college athletics world and horror of horrors, ended up with a verbal from one top 70 player for basketball. No doubt this needs to be severely punished as it is the worst thing that has ever happened in college sports.

Sigh.

The next time the NCAA tries to investigate us over AW then Wildhack should give them the finger and say fck off. Worked for everyone else.

 

[djcon57]

I know of no one else who is posting everything he is doing with NIL on social media.

I am not big on social media though.

It sounds like you are very knowledgeable on this topic and can educate me. Please let me know a couple dozen others who are handling NIL like Adam. I would like to check out their accounts.

Miami booster John Ruiz’s NIL deals are controversial and aggressive, but he’s confident they are within rules and bring value to his businesses, athletes

Miami booster John Ruiz’s NIL deals are controversial and aggressive, but he’s confident they are within the rules and bring value to his businesses and the athletes.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

This is the guy folks on this board called Miami’s Sugar Daddy

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I read the article. Really wish someone who was a better writer tackled the subject.

Carlson stressed the importance of the NCAA rule change that finally allows them to take circumstantial evidence into account when performing investigations and says this could be a big factor in getting Syracuse into trouble with the NCAA.

And ignores the fact that Adam Weitsman has been exceptionally open on everything he is doing from day one.

This, IMHO, is what makes Adam fundamentally different from 99% of the people paying athletes today under the guise of NIL. And it makes the central point of his story, the importance of the policy change to consider circumstantial evidence, essentially moot.

Chris should have been impartial enough to discuss this in his story and should have had the impressive group of experts he interviewed for his story discuss this.

As well as the difficulty Syracuse and all other schools are encountering dealing with the NCAA. He should have discussed how the NCAA ignored NIL for an extended period, the vacuum this bizarre decision caused, and how the lack of oversight and guidance encouraged boosters to do anything they wanted.

Weitsman and other Syracuse boosters got involved in NIL because other schools were using it extensively to get better players on their teams. NIL was making a major impact on the Syracuse basketball program and if Syracuse was to remain competitive, he and others had to do something to level the playing field.

Trying to paint Weitsman as an extreme figure in NIL is easy because he is basically the only one doing this above board. But it is lazy and inaccurate and disingenuous.

Letting Americans be compensated for the use of their NIL is far from bizarre. The NCAA used “student athlete” as a sword, not a shield.
The UNLV kid that had to sell his t-shirt company. The FB player that couldn’t get snowboarding endorsements.
Meanwhile, coaches and administrators are getting fat, and the schools were foregoing their obligation to educate, and instead were satisfied with merely keeping a player eligible during their athletic shelf life.

College sports is getting what it deserves.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Miami booster John Ruiz’s NIL deals are controversial and aggressive, but he’s confident they are within rules and bring value to his businesses, athletes

Miami booster John Ruiz’s NIL deals are controversial and aggressive, but he’s confident they are within the rules and bring value to his businesses and the athletes.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

This is the guy folks on this board called Miami’s Sugar Daddy

Good for him and for them.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

If I thought that I had enough money, and it would be a worthwhile endorsement, I would pay some of the players to do ads for me.

 

[djcon57]

Good for him and for them.

Agreed. Just stating that their have been players in the NIL game open about their activity.

There are certainly behind the scenes people too Whatever the hell is going on at Texas A&M for example

 

[djcon57]

3. Adam is a globally recognized influencer and mentor to young entrepreneurs. I imagine this is in line with his giving back philosophy. Beyond the financial aspects there is a great symbiotic relationship being formed with these young men with a value that goes way beyond sports. I feel pretty comfortable saying that you can count on one hand the number of college sports boosters who can make the same claim.

 

[Consigliere]

Good for him and for them.

Don’t say that in Manhattan, Kansas. Stealing a player from Kansas State is good for no one.

 

[MSOrange]

I normally like Carlson, but this article rubbed me the wrong way. Seemed like he was really trying a bit too hard to get SU in trouble,

 

[sutomcat]

Letting Americans be compensated for the use of their NIL is far from bizarre. The NCAA used “student athlete” as a sword, not a shield.
The UNLV kid that had to sell his t-shirt company. The FB player that couldn’t get snowboarding endorsements.
Meanwhile, coaches and administrators are getting fat, and the schools were foregoing their obligation to educate, and instead were satisfied with merely keeping a player eligible during their athletic shelf life.

College sports is getting what it deserves.

No argument there. The NCAA has essentially done nothing with NIL. They didn't get their way and just ignored this entire issue, all the way up to 18 months after it went into effect.

That is what I find bizarre.

 

[hoopsupstate]

The NCAA has no leadership or direction. The Big Five needs to hire a football commissioner and a separate basketball commissioner. The sports are different and have different needs. One has a tournament with 12 teams and basketball has one for 68. TV is different, etc. The sooner the better.

 

[Consigliere]

If you have an issue with that, do a little research.