Billy Napier makes interesting point about players potentially receiving cut of TV money

NIL is still a new concept in college football but players across the country have taken advantage of the opportunities in a big way. Even so, it’s been on an individual basis and just because you’re on a roster does not mean you will be able to cash in. Florida head coach Billy Napier has been a huge advocate of NIL but also has other ideas for ways to support the players financially.

When Napier was asked about SEC players getting a cut of TV money, he seemed all in on the concept. Napier said there is no product on the field if players do not show up — and if that happens, nobody will watch on TV. He even thinks “it’s foolish” to suggest against the idea.

“It’s foolish to think the players don’t deserve a piece of the pie,” Napier said. “If there’s no players in these stadiums, no one is showing up to watch and they’re certainly not sitting in their home watching it on TV. It all leads back to the money. TV industry holds the key to the castle so to speak.”

Here is the full quote from Napier.

I’m finding that the amount a coach complains about NIL is inversely proportional to the amount of time left in his working life. Billy Napier is 42. He’s got a looooong time left to work. pic.twitter.com/PWVrlUzL4y

— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) May 31, 2022

Now, this is not something the SEC has begun to discuss as coaches and officials meet in Destin for Spring Meetings. Napier was more so talking about the future where this could be a possibility.

The SEC has long been in a contract with CBS, with the network showcasing their Game of the Week at 3:30 ET once the conference schedule gets underway. However, they will be moving on, with ESPN getting involved with a $3 billion contract coming into the conference soon.

ESPN and the SEC are expected to begin broadcasting games together during the 2024 season, with the deal spanning over a decade. Even though Texas and Oklahoma are joining the conference, each member will be seeing a significant uptick in revenue thanks to the television deal.

All of that does not even include the money ESPN already dishes out to broadcast the College Football Playoff. The SEC has put at least one team into the playoff every year and sometimes even two. There’s no shortage of television money running through the conference.

Even before the increase, Napier seems to be in favor of players across the conference seeing some of that money. There was no exact plan laid out by the Florida head coach but it’s an idea that’s being floated around for the first time. As NIL becomes more common and possibly regulated, athletic directors and coaches may have to take it into serious consideration.