John Daly on student-athletes profiting: 'They deserve something'

Count John Daly as a strong supporter of NIL. In an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show earlier this week, the professional golfer spoke about why he believes student-athletes deserve to profit off their athletic abilities.

“You want them happy. First of all, you want them healthy,” Daly responded, speaking about college athletes as a whole. “You look at college athletes, you want them to stay healthy. They get recruited big, and you hope they stay healthy. I think they deserve something.”

Far too many times have student-athletes missed out on huge paydays due to unfair NCAA restrictions. Somebody is making money off their abilities, and it deserves to be the man or woman on the field — as Daly argued.

Continuing, the former Arkansas Razorbacks golfer added a tidbit on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, using him as a far too common example.

“A guy like Dak Prescott, he’s been out of Mississippi State for like four years now, they’re still selling his jersey. The NCAA and Mississippi State are still making money off of him,” started Daly. “Why isn’t Dak not making money on it? Why shouldn’t kids be able to make some money, and take that money and maybe get an insurance policy on themselves for a lot of money, incase they don’t go pro or get hurt, or something like that.

“The NCAA, I don’t like them. I think they have too much control. NIL needs to just keep going, and kids need to get paid.”

Moreover, Daly is in an interesting position when it comes to NIL and collegiate athletics. To illustrate, Daly himself didn’t benefit from NIL while at Arkansas, but the professional golfer is watching his son — John Daly II — ink lucrative deals, following in his father’s footsteps with the Razorbacks.

Recently, Daly II partnered with Hooters as an NIL ambassador, a brand his father has been associated with in the past.

“I have seen my father’s great relationship with Hooters over the years, and I am proud to continue my family’s association with this iconic brand,” stated Daly, via Front Office Sports.

The partnership with John Daly II marked Hooters’ first NIL deal since collegiate athletics entered a new space. If it goes well, the restaurant could look to expand their horizons. However, there may never be as good of a candidate as Daly II for the brand.

Nevertheless, it’s easy to see John Daly‘s point when it comes to student-athletes deserving their piece of the pie when it comes to NIL and the people on the field actually seeing some of the insane revenue they generate.