“It’s cheating” - $35,000,000 worth Urban Meyer drops blunt opinion on NIL affecting college sports

Urban Meyer has given his opinion on the current structure of the name, image and likeness deals, and it is as blunt as it can get. In an appearance on the "Lou Holtz Podcast," the former Ohio State coach said that the idea of NIL is great, but it is not in the ideal state at the moment. According to him, what has happened is "cheating."

NIL has divided opinions in college football ever since its introduction in 2021. Many coaches have voiced their dissent against the structure of the policy, saying it has made recruitment all about money. The list now includes Meyer, who is worth $35 million per CelebrityNetWorth.

Here is what three-time national championship-winning coach Urban Meyer had to say about NIL affecting college sports:

“I think NIL, and I sat in those committees for many, many years, I think it’s great. I think if it’s capitalism, for example, if a great player like Marvin Harrison Jr. And some car dealership in town wants to hire him, they want to put his name on a billboard and pay him money, sign autographs. He wants to put something on an Instagram or they sell that. But that’s not what’s happened, Coach. What’s happened is it’s cheating.”

NIL was supposed to give the players simple endorsements and promotional opportunities. It was a way for college athletes to make money by leveraging their on-field fame. But what ended up happening was the creation of collectives to pay players through donor money for recruitment. Urban Meyer and many others aren't really fans of that arrangement.

Before Urban Meyer, Nick Saban lambasted NIL in front of the U.S. Senate

Before Urban Meyer gave his blunt opinion on the NIL earnings structure, legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban spoke about it in front of the U.S. Senate. The seven-time national champion criticized the policy, saying that it promoted a "caste system" in college sports. Here is a part of what he said during a Senate hearing in March:

"You're going to create a caste system where the rich will get richer and the poor get poorer, and eventually the fans will look at it like, 'I really don't want to watch the game.'”

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban plays his tee shot on the 10th hole during the Annexus Pro-Am.

According to him, it has become about whoever wants to pay to recruit, and that program would have the most opportunity to win. With critics of the policy growing, is it time to make some changes?