NIL Lawyer hammers handlers, calls for Nico Iamaleava damage control

In one of the strangest sagas in college football history, starting Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava finds himself looking for a new team. That comes just days after Iamaleava was reportedly in “active negotiations” with the powers at be at Tennessee over an updated NIL deal.

An attorney that deals with NIL negotiations extensively has weighed in on the matter. Darren Heitner, who is the founder of Heitner Legal and teaches NIL at Miami Law, believes Iamaleava is getting poor advice.

“Nico Iamaleava needs to put up walls between him and his handlers,” Heitner wrote on Twitter. “Get in front of the negativity and rehabilitate his image asap. I hear he’s a good person. But he’s getting terrible advice. The market for his services in college and potentially at the pro level is collapsing.”

That echoes a column On3’s Andy Staples penned following the unfolding of the situation late in the week. Staples’ take was essentially that the agents could have prevented a situation like this.

For Heitner, the problem is that the entire saga has been handled poorly. He noted the “silence from [Nico Iamaleava’s] camp” recently has been “deafening.”

“Where are the damage control experts?” Heitner asked. “Seems like Nico has people who think they’re the smartest in the room. But they may be in the wrong room. Will Nico figure it out before it’s too late?”

There’s no doubt that Nico Iamaleava is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country. There’s definitely a market for his services.

What seems to be in question is the price teams might be willing to pay. And that could be shifting as the saga continues to unfold.

“The delusion I’ve seen in this specific instance would make you laugh until you realize someone’s career is hanging in the balance,” Heitner said. “Then, you really start to feel for the player and pray he replaces the significantly ego-driven individuals with reputable counsel.”

How the Nico Iamaleava situation plays out from here remains to be seen. But suffice it to say a lot of people are watching, keenly interested to see what happens next.