JMI Issue

[ukchamps_98]

Would have posted this over on HOB, but after this season in football and basketball as well as the board changes, I didn't renew. Anyone reading this feel free to post this info over there so more fans can see it.

Spoke to someone tonight who is well connected to some large boosters. Allegedly they revealed that the issue weith JMI is that JMI charges 10% on all NIL deals that players have. This even includes deals the players work up themselves. They also can't use UK branding on their own deals even though JMI is still getting paid! If true, I can see why agents do not allow the players to sign here. When you factor an agent likely charges 15-20% of all marketing deals from the player and then JMI charges another 10% that other schools don't, then this is pretty easy to figure out.
They also said that Pope is very emotional and snippy when he doesn't get his way. TIFWIW

 

[deplion]

Zero evidence of this, but it wouldn't shock me to see Mitch and his team eventually get exposed for being massively corrupt.

 

[KyKevin]

Zero evidence of this, but it wouldn't shock me to see Mitch and his team eventually get exposed for being massively corrupt.

It would at least make some damn sense out of the recruiting BS

 

[ukchamps_98]

You are right, I can't provide written evidence. What I gave you was a conversation that was shared with my professional friend by some boosters. It can easily be disproven though by JMI or UK if it's not true. I mean, why all the secret squirrel nonsense and gaslighring by Barnhart?? Remember "Enough!"

 

[Bluesbrother]

Zero evidence of this, but it wouldn't shock me to see Mitch and his team eventually get exposed for being massively corrupt.

Wouldn't be the first time corrupt individuals around the UK Athletic program were caught red handed lining their own pockets. I honestly hope it's not true again, but I refuse to turn a blind eye and like you I have no first-hand proof but there's just too much smoke not to ask those pesky knucklehead questions about the possibility of the fire being real once again.

 

[MichaelGray]

A while back when the JMI thing was starting to really piss fans off, someone said that JMI allows players to Opt out of JMI controlling their NIL deals & said that Noah opted out. I read that or heard that a while back. Has anyone else heard the same thing?

 

[20MRoster]

Thanks for sharing. Bonus points for the confirmation that Pope is a *****.

 

[PastorofMuppets82]

A while back when the JMI thing was starting to really piss fans off, someone said that JMI allows players to Opt out of JMI controlling their NIL deals & said that Noah opted out. I read that or heard that a while back. Has anyone else heard the same thing?

I can only answer part of this. Noah's NIL deals for this season were pre-JMI contract. He had multiple small, local business type deals in place. I can't name them because I don't know all of them, but think like Harlan Gas and Go, or Momma's Deli type deals. VERY small. But when you add a bunch of them together, it's a decent bit of coin. Anyways, the new JMI contract would require him (I'm told) to either give up those deals (because they are not part of the BBNIL Suite "collective") or he could continue with them but would not be allowed to use UK licensed branding or images in those outside NIL deals without paying JMI a percentage of that deal (for use of UK logo and branding) so the above 10% surcharge by JMI, which I had not heard an actual number till the OP posted it, but knew some small percentage would exist 1-3% is pretty standard. No idea is that is true, I, like most, have never seen the actual contracts these players are signing. I can't say whether or not Noah opted out. He might have if he makes more money outside JMI from all the combined small rural companies.

 

[19CatOfBlueBlood96]

Zero evidence of this, but it wouldn't shock me to see Mitch and his team eventually get exposed for being massively corrupt.

Zero evidence because we can't even get the AD to answer questions about it. If there wasn't something there then there wouldn't be something there.

 

[19CatOfBlueBlood96]

I would tell my son to tell UK and mitch barnhart to kiss my ***. I'd send him to Duke or even Arkasas where they wouldnt have an AD trying to suck off a portion of his money.

Screw barnhart screw Pope screw UK until they quit being a LOSER school

 

[UKGrad24]

You are right, I can't provide written evidence. What I gave you was a conversation that was shared with my professional friend by some boosters. It can easily be disproven though by JMI or UK if it's not true. I mean, why all the secret squirrel nonsense and gaslighring by Barnhart?? Remember "Enough!"

Boosters have said, and one in particular told me, the JMI issue is one of the things Barnhart was trying to avoid on his way out. Pope was a hire to try and conceal it and keep power over the narrative. Pope isn’t qualified so he’ll tote the line he’s told and he has.

This is not hard to see if you just pay attention it’s been going on the entire time.

 

[JonathanW2]

Zero evidence of this, but it wouldn't shock me to see Mitch and his team eventually get exposed for being massively corrupt.

I have yet to see any potential benefit to UK or the players in the JMI deal. It really does give the impression of near DC-level corruption.

 

[19CatOfBlueBlood96]

Boosters have said, and one in particular told me, the JMI issue is one of the things Barnhart was trying to avoid on his way out. Pope was a hire to try and conceal it and keep power over the narrative. Pope isn’t qualified so he’ll tote the line he’s told and he has.

This is not hard to see if you just pay attention it’s been going on the entire time.

Why else would a hall of famer be trying to leave. And for arkasas at that... It's kind of a big deal as much as the fan base wants to downplay it ..

 

[Farsight Clone]

Zero evidence of this, but it wouldn't shock me to see Mitch and his team eventually get exposed for being massively corrupt.

We are about 99% sure Mitch and Eli are corrupt. If they hire Mitch's exec associate AD, Rachel Newman Baker who is married to a guy who works at JMI, that 1% becomes 100% corrupt.

 

[OliverSimmonsTwinBrother]

Honestly I kind of ignored the whole JMI stuff because I never saw to many details as to why they were an issue, but this seems legit and makes a ton of sense as to why we're stuggling with recruits. Barnhart and Rachel Baker and the rest of the dept need to be investigated over this deal.

 

[Farsight Clone]

Honestly I kind of ignored the whole JMI stuff because I never saw to many details as to why they were an issue, but this seems legit and makes a ton of sense as to why we're stuggling with recruits. Barnhart and Rachel Baker and the rest of the dept need to be investigated over this deal.

I think the blame is on both Pope and JMI. The ratio of that blame is to be seen. It's there for sure, just don't know what it is.

 

[UKGrad24]

I think the blame is on both Pope and JMI. The ratio of that blame is to be seen. It's there for sure, just don't know what it is.

It’s a 3 headed monster. You’ve got an AD who wants to pretend he’s above competing if it requires anything dirty at all. Strike 1. You’ve got a crazy contract he gave JMI that should have never been done and handicaps recruiting strike 2.

It wouldn’t be complete without Mitch going ahead and killin it dead right? Trouble recruiting due to your crazy self righteous positions and contract deal? Bring in MARK F’n POPE and kill this MF dead as it could ever be.

People are actually cheering this on. It’s a very small minority, but when I say spectrum retards, it’s because I don’t know if they’re legitimately stupid by birth or just have been conditioned over time. How could you NOT SEE IT.

And NO SIR players like Kam an Lowe aren’t making a f’n difference what the hell?

 

[legalbeagle123]

Signing JMI to a 15-year deal is an idiotic move. Barnhart is a bum and needs to be run out of town on a rail.

 

[BMR1987]

I'm not saying the JMI deal shouldn't be questioned or even investigated, but I also don't think it explains Pope's struggles.

Kenny Brooks has 3 consensus Top 40 players committed for next season under the JMI deal.

Will Stein is crushing it in recruiting under the JMI deal.

The only one struggling is the dude with the cringey personality that most players can't relate to.

I actually think the money has helped Pope land players he never would've had a chance with otherwise, but at the end of the day when the money is equal or even slightly more from UK, athletes are still going with coaches they respect the most and trust to develop them and coach them up.

Instead of wasting his time recruiting one-and-dones he never had a chance with in some weird attempt to appease the fanbase, he at least initally needed to of aimed more for players that fit the style he wanted to play and had a support staff in place here that could've better developed guys like that instead of assistants only known for their "recruiting" connections. That was the culture he should've been cultivating instead of "touch money".

 

[AllBall]

Zero evidence of this, but it wouldn't shock me to see Mitch and his team eventually get exposed for being massively corrupt.

Yep. That's why he’s responding like a child when questioned about anything.

 

[WeWant9_rivals]

next time I get a call from an 859 number I’ll tell them to take my donation out of Mitch’s new salary

 

[AllBall]

Signing JMI to a 15-year deal is an idiotic move. Barnhart is a bum and needs to be run out of town on a rail.

No one signs a deal of that length. The college athletics landscape is too fluid and constantly changing. That is, unless you're lining your own pockets.

 

[DelkBowl]

Us not knowing the evidence doesn't mean there's zero evidence.

 

[Anon1768287303]

I'm not saying I know anything about thelegality of what may or may not be going on. But If things like this are really happening, or even a fraction of it, and corruption from a monopoly really runs that deep, would that not be cause for an investigation by the State Attorney General? At least the appointment of a special council to find evidence? After all it is the commonwealth's university. Legal analysts please feel free to weigh in.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Pope doesn’t have a JMI problem. JMI has a Pope problem.

 

[Cats192]

Us not knowing the evidence doesn't mean there's zero evidence.

You're right.

It also doesn't mean evidence exists.

 

[Johnnie Africa]

Pope doesn’t have a JMI problem. JMI has a Pope problem.

Good one!

 

[HogCoyote]

I have yet to see any potential benefit to UK or the players in the JMI deal. It really does give the impression of near DC-level corruption.

The benefit is they paid the Athletics department a butt load of money that Mitch and cronies don't have to do anything for.

 

[Cats192]

I'm not going to say it can't be true. There seems to be massive corruption involving the UK President and the athletic department.

But

1. It just seems like no one would be stupid enough to think this will fly. We're recruiting kids that all have agents. Agents all have several clients and are overseeing recruitments involving several schools. Surely the agents have talked to dozens of schools across the Power conferences. And they know no one else is asking for this. So why would that agent agree to it? And I just can't see JMI or UK thinking this would fly in the first place.

2. It just seems like it would have gotten out through other means. Agents and other failed recruitments--someone would have talked about it. KSR did their little investigative article and said that UK was asking for things no other place was asking for. But they didn't mention anything along these lines. And I just think the information would be out there.

Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[DelkBowl]

You're right.

It also doesn't mean evidence exists.

Correct but when people claim there is none without knowing, that's just guessing.

 

[rivercatinfl]

Boosters have said, and one in particular told me, the JMI issue is one of the things Barnhart was trying to avoid on his way out. Pope was a hire to try and conceal it and keep power over the narrative. Pope isn’t qualified so he’ll tote the line he’s told and he has.

This is not hard to see if you just pay attention it’s been going on the entire time.

Makes sense why guys are avoiding us. That's a total crock of ****! We need to get that changed.
I have no idea how we change it. I'm sure we are locked in for a period of time. Just enough time to see our program in the tank. Pisses me off.

 

[TommyMansky]

It’s difficult to say how big of an issue JMI is currently given the lack of recruiting mojo by the coaching staff.

Was KSR the first media outlet to report on JMI? I’m trying to figure out if the university is completely corrupt or just mostly corrupt and JMI is being used as an excuse by poor recruiters.

 

[JwUKFan11]

I wouldn’t sign a 15 year deal for an exclusive soda brand. Much less for NIL contracts to run through one company for 15 years. Did no one stop and think damn 15 years is a long time if for some reason this doesn’t work out?

 

[Oboro_3]

Other top schools have the same NIL setup as we do so it is not a JMI issue

 

[Rainmaker]

Every NIL company earns money by taking a percentage like an agent. JMI isn't the only one. I've seen it as high as 25% before, so I'm not sure that's the issue with JMI.

 

[HogCoyote]

I wouldn’t sign a 15 year deal for an exclusive soda brand. Much less for NIL contracts to run through one company for 15 years. Did no one stop and think damn 15 years is a long time if for some reason this doesn’t work out?

Mitch saw dollar signs and knew he was on his way out, he didn't give a crap about the length of the deal as he knew he wouldn't be around when it hurt the worst.

 

[JwUKFan11]

Looks like the JMI employees have found this thread! One of them claims to work with high level athletes but posts dumb opinions on here all the time.

 

[PastorofMuppets82]

Other top schools have the same NIL setup as we do so it is not a JMI issue

Genuinely interested in knowing what other schools have the same setup. The only thing close is Ohio State with Learfield, but Ohio State kept their outside collective (The Foundation) whereas UK moved everything in house under JMI and created the BBNIL Suite. I haven't been able to find a single school that has the same setup with everything in house under one banner, yet. So I'd be interested to see any other school that is exactly the same, and more specifically other completely in house JMI schools, and if they are having issues with recruiting in basketball (and seemingly not in football) like we are.

Edited to add that I know JMI holds the media rights with UCLA and Notre Dame (in a similar way our old deal with them existed) but everything I have been able to find says JMI doesn't have anything to do with NIL at either school like they do at UK.

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

Other top schools have the same NIL setup as we do so it is not a JMI issue

Signing 15 year deal when you’re about to retire is a strange .

 

[rivercatinfl]

Signing 15 year deal when you’re about to retire is a strange .

People go to jail for deals made like that.