Soft money is coming from boosters specifically to influence players' decisions, not to compensate them for the use of their name, image, or likeness. Seems counterintuitive and contrary to the stated purpose of NIL.
The "rules" are written more in pencil than in pen so boosters are playing loose with the rules. And boosters have been stepping over the line right after Naismith hung up his first peach baskets.
And now players can "legally" get paid so some are being more proactive than others. Does anyone really feel 1400+ portal players are all dissatisfied with their playing time or their coach?
The love of money is the root of all evil.
Greed is good.
Jesse is not the first and definitely not going to be the last player to play Blindman's Bluff. If he was able to play the game and make a ton of money to play CBB, good for him. He won and the Syracuse has lost (at least for now).
It's not illegal what he did. Was it possibly unethical how he went about things. According to some people "in the know" he wasn't honest with the coaches. This could come back to bite him down the road. You are only as good as your reputation.
But right now, Jesse is not in business. He is a basketball player and a college students who reportedly will make a bunch of money next year.
I think I said before that I despise everything about the portal, except for the fact that the student athletes now have pretty much the same rights as regular students to switch school, and now with NIL, they can also make money.
So, like many others, I probably won't root for Jesse in the future, just like I won't root for players on my favorite professional sports teams who choose to play elsewhere.
I haven't read everything from the last couple days, so if I am off-base, please show me the light, but I am really hoping that the leaders of the Syracuse athletic programs have a plan for future success under the current climate.
