Purdue star Zach Edey expresses frustration about NIL restrictions owing to student regulations: "I feel like I'm missing out on a ton of money"

Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey was awarded AP Player of the Year for the second year in a row for his outstanding season, which includes leading his team to the Final Four.

Edey recently had a gripe with a law that has affected him directly. Despite being one of the most renowned men's basketball players, he has barely benefited as much as his colleagues from NIL (Name, Image and Likeness).

"I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of money," Edey said during a pre-game news conference.

"It's not like I can go film a commercial in West Lafayette. I hope they change it in the future. I obviously have lost out on a lot of money this year. At the end of the day, it needs to change, for sure. I understand kind of the legal process. It takes a while.

"It's not like it's an NCAA rule. It's an American law. Anytime you try to go change that, I understand it takes a while. But I do think it needs to change," he added.

Edey is a Canadian student on a student visa in an American program and, by law, cannot benefit from NIL activities that take place on American soil, although he can make money from activities not carried out in America.

Zach Edey doesn't bother too much about NIL and has sole focus on basketball

Zach Edey has become one of the most dominant men's basketball players in the past two years, leading the Purdue Boilermakers to elite status and No. 1 seeds in two consecutive NCAA tournaments.

Edey mentioned that he doesn't bother too much about NIL deals. He is rather more focused on basketball action.

"I don't get distracted by that (NIL)," he said. "I try to stay out of that for the most part. I have my agents deal with that. I'm a basketball player at the end of the day. That's really what I'm focused on."

Last year, Zach Edey benefited from NIL when he collaborated with Daps, a New York-based startup that allows fans to bid on match-worn apparel by their favorite athletes.

Edey and the Boilermakers beat Alabama 92-86, with the center scoring 35 points in Toronto when the deal with Daps was executed, keeping him compliant with NIL laws.

With his move to the NBA imminent, Edey will finally get to fully cash in on his talent when he goes professional.