NIL era has become a complete disaster

The modern NIL era is a complete disaster. Players walk away from contracts just to chase a new shiny opportunity. Coaches are left begging their alumni to donate to their collectives so that they can “afford” to constantly be re-recruiting their roster.

College athletics used to be about education, now it’s sadly all about money. It’s not uncommon nowadays for 17-year-old high school students to sign deals with brands like Nike, be gifted sports cars, and to have their bank accounts flooded with more money than you can imagine. America is a capitalist country. If you work hard, the sky is the limit for what you can achieve. But we’ve got to have some rules around this.

Now, I’m all for college athletes getting paid. But unfortunately, the current system has created an unlevel playing field. Sports like football and basketball are thriving while women’s sports and Olympic sports are being hung out to dry. At this point, I don’t even blame the athletes. The system is fundamentally broken.

You’ve heard me say it: NIL is the Wild West, and it needs some major reining in. There is no accountability and absolutely zero loyalty in college athletics today. The arbitrary transfer windows don’t line up with the expanded college football playoffs, leading players to announce their intent to transfer before the playoffs are even decided. This not only interrupts team dynamics, but it also undermines what student athletics is supposed to be all about — education.

As you all know, I spent nearly 40 years coaching. I’m not a politician, but in my current role as Alabama’s senior U.S senator, I’m asked often about my thoughts on NIL. Over the past few years, my team and I have met with dozens of coaches, administrators, athletes, and other stakeholders with one goal in mind: How can we protect student-athletes while preserving college sports?

I’m excited to announce that I am introducing a bill that I believe will solve many of the problems plaguing college athletics today. My bill is called the Student-Athlete Act and has two main provisions.

First, it would clarify eligibility rules to allow student-athletes to have five consecutive years to play five consecutive seasons. After that, you’re done. We’re not doing this COVID free year of eligibility anymore. We can’t be having 25-year-old “students” who graduated three years ago still competing in the NCAA. A student-athlete gets five years to get an education, compete, and then move on.

Second, student-athletes can transfer one time without penalty. After that, they have to sit out a year if they choose to transfer again. I truly think the unregulated transfer portal is the worst thing to happen in the history of college sports. If college athletics is truly about education, we have to prioritize coursework and help set these kids up for success in life.

This is not to mention the tragic impacts the unregulated transfer portal has had on the culture of college sports. When I was coaching, the players in my locker rooms were brothers. If someone needed help moving, they knew that their teammates would show up to help. If someone had a death in the family, they could count on their brothers to be there for them.

That type of bond between student-athletes requires time, trust, and consistency. That kind of trust is hard to build if you’re worried that the person you share a locker room with isn’t going to show up the next day.

As a former coach, I have full confidence that we can work this out for the betterment of our universities and our players. The game clock is ticking, but we aren’t going to wait until the clock gets to zero. Now is the time to move the ball forward and get something done for the future of college athletics.

Tommy Tuberville is Alabama’s senior U.S. senator.