Greg Sankey blasts NIL system, collectives 'struggling to pay bills for promises made'

One of the most outspoken supporters of the House v. NCAA settlement, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey further called for change to the current NIL system. He specifically pointed out “promises that weren’t fulfilled.”

During an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show Wednesday, Sankey lamented the alleged unfulfilled NIL deals. He took aim at collectives, in particular, and reiterated his call for more transparency.

But as dollars continue to flow, Sankey said he received word of some collectives having a hard time keeping pace. That, he added, is another flaw with the current system.

"It's not a healthy system…the way we're functioning can't go on."@GregSankey with some extended thoughts on the state of college sports in light of the House vs NCAA Settlement and continued calls for government intervention: pic.twitter.com/F4HqDbr6Cz

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) February 5, 2025

“We need a name, image and likeness system that has a level of transparency, where there is protection for young people,” Sankey said. “There [are] a lot of reports about promises made that weren’t fulfilled, deals that were struck that were never authorized and problems that come.

“Collectives are out there, but I hear about collectives that are struggling to pay bills for promises made. That is not a healthy system. The way we’re functioning can’t go on.”

One of the most notable examples of an alleged unfulfilled deal was at UNLV this past season. Holy Cross transfer Matthew Sluka left the team after four games, preserving a redshirt, after his representation said the school verbally promised him a $100,000 NIL deal. Instead, he only received a $3,000 relocation fee, and he eventually transferred to James Madison.

At Louisville, punter Brady Hodge opted out over a dispute of his own with 502 Circle. He argued he was promised a deal in September, but the collective did not “hold up their end of the deal.” As a result, he opted out of the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

Greg Sankey: ‘Our duty is not to go find workarounds all the time’

As for what a solution would be to fix the current landscape, Greg Sankey sees what people say on social media about what’s wrong. But he argued it’s not as simple as it seems, and he again called on Congress to step in to settle things.

“A lot of the simple solutions that people just observe – ‘Well, they should go do this,’ and every lawyer on Twitter who wants to make a comment – great for them. There are plenty of opinions,” Sankey said. “What we need to do is stay laser-focused on implementation. The universities involved in this endeavor need to make a commitment that this will work. That our duty is not to go find workarounds all the time, but to sustain college football, college basketball, college sports broadly – that we talked at the beginning and our success – that opportunity for everyone. And every court decision that extends eligibility means there’s a high school competitor who lost an opportunity to participate. That shouldn’t be missed here.

“It’s a time of enormous change and enormous complexity. And when we talk about having Congressional help, it’s not a plea. It is an observation that Congress can set national standards for college sports yet again. We need to work through that, collectively, in a non-partisan way to make sure what is uniquely special about American college sports can continue.”