Stephen A. Smith: Through NIL, Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter no longer amateurs, 'scrutiny comes with that'

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, a friend and fervent defender of Deion Sanders, didn’t hold back on Wednesday’s First Take. Smith took issue with Sanders’ recent condemnation of critical media coverage surrounding Colorado superstars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, acknowledging neither are amateurs and should anticipate scrutiny.

Through NIL, Sanders and Hunter are already reeling in the big bucks based on their play on the field and personalities and celebrity off of it.

In a heated debate on Wednesday’s First Take, Smith and Paul Finebaum went back and forth on coach Deion Sanders attacking the media for criticizing his players more so than usual.

While initially defending Deion Sanders’ media rebuttal, Smith made it clear Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter currently rank No. 1 and 3, respectively, in NIL Valuation according to On3’s NIL 100. For reference, No. 2 is LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne.

“So you can’t just sit up there and say, ‘Well, you know what? They’re kids. ‘So you know what, me, I can handle it, but they can’t,’” Smith said. “Well, no matter who you are, sometimes your sensitive buttons get tugged on, and as a result, you react accordingly. In the end, the bottom line is this, it comes with it because collegiate sports have taken on a professional tilt to some degree because of the money that has come into play. 

“And as a result, they’re not amateurs, really, anymore. They’re getting paid now. When I look at this: Shedeur Sanders 5.1 million, Travis Hunter, 3.1 million, currently ranked No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in NIL valuations among all college athletes, according to On3.com. That is a fact. And so as a result of that, they’re no longer amateurs. They get paid. And in some instances, it ain’t just the media … every NFL player ain’t making 3.1 million. Every NFL player ain’t making 5.1 million. They’re getting more than some NFL players. Scrutiny comes with that. He’s got to know that.”

It should be noted, Sanders and Hunter aren’t making that amount of money per year.  Smith was citing the Colorado duo’s On3 NIL Valuation.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation establishes the overall NIL market and projected 12-month growth rate for an Athlete by measuring two categories: Roster Value and NIL.  

The majority of dollars athletes earn is based on their Roster Value. Roster Value collects data from all school collectives, players, and representatives using a proprietary Roster Management algorithm. NIL value measures the licensing and sponsorship market through exposure and social media influence. Roster Value and NIL combine to create the overall On3 NIL Valuation.

“Shedeur and Travis set the NIL market in college football,” On3’s Pete Nakos said. “Not only are they two of the top players in the sport they’ve also built massive social media followings and command major marketing dollars. Helping Deion Sanders build up the Colorado brand has only helped, too. Shedeur and Travis’ marketing deals significantly outpace the NFL minimum salary.”

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.

Stephen A. Smith: Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter have to expect ‘scrutiny’

“This is my brother. I love him and we’ve disagreed on a few occasions this year, more so than we ever have,” Smith said of Deion Sanders. “In this particular instance, Deion Sanders, how are you leaving yourself out of this mix? The attention that you bring to Colorado, you know, the sizzle, the acclaim, the allure, also comes with a heightened level of scrutiny. And they’ve gotten at you, and they’re going to get at your son, who’s the star quarterback for that school. 

“That’s a given, and when he says they ain’t accustomed to it like grown men, well, you know what? There are things that Deion Sanders did as a professional athlete that mirrored some of the truculence and the belligerence and the immaturity that we’ve seen from college players.”

Deion Sanders was certainly heated when talking about what he deemed media-directed criticism against his players following Saturday’s win over rival Colorado State.

“When I say I genuinely love these kids, I genuinely really do,” Deion Sanders said. “It’s not about what they can do for me on the football field. It’s about what I can help them with in life. They’re football players. Some of these guys are definitely going pro, but I just want to equip them with the weapons to win life. Because, you know, football has changed, the  landscape has changed in football. 

“Once upon a time, you guys never attacked college players. Now they’re making more money than y’all, and some of y’all are envious and jealous about that. So you’re on the attack … These guys are sensitive. They’ve never been attacked. (They are) somebody out of high school or two years or three years in college, but they’re still sensitive to slander.”

Sanders then compared it to his own experience with media throughout his professional careers in both the NFL and MLB. Deion Sanders believes today’s college stars, which includes his son and Hunter, are treated differently than even he dealt with during his Florida State days.

“They hadn’t gone through, what a grown man, what I’ve been going through with y’all for years,” Sanders said. “They haven’t done that. So it is what it is. I know you’re going to do your job and what you must do, but your job does not say attack. Like if they didn’t play well, leave it at that. But the personal stuff … because if we start flipping script on y’all, you wouldn’t like it. Thank you Lord for stopping me there. That was almost a good one. That would have went viral. He’s a great kid.”