Name, Image and Likeness a Hot Topic of Conversation at SEC Media Days

The coaches of the conference as well as their athletes were frequently questioned on the players' new ability to profit off of their NIL.

HOOVER, Ala. — Heading into the 2021 SEC Football Kickoff Media Days, it was pretty much assumed that Name, Image and Likeness would be a hot topic of conversation between the media, coaches and athletes.

As it turns out, everyone was correct in making that assumption.

NIL was a hot topic of the opening day of the four-day event. With NIL laws going into effect earlier this month, players across the nation have begun to profit off of their image, building brands and profiting through monetary exchanges as well as goods and services to promote businesses both public and private.

In his statement to open SEC Media Days, conference commissioner Greg Sankey noted that the state level of legislation did not provide many regulations aside from simply deeming athletes eligible to profit off of their NIL.

"When you examine state legislation, there's not a high level of oversight," Sankey said. "And I just read on Twitter some really high number of businesses that are now in this space. Yeah, there are businesses that are well intentioned that will support young people.

"But outside our league at different levels, I've heard of young people walking into compliance offices with contracts that say pay so-and-so $5,000, they'll create your brand and your website, or $10,000, or $15,000. That's not this one-sided flow of money that everyone expects."

Sankey pushed for legislation at the federal level in order to provide a level playing field for athletes and programs as NIL policies are enacted across the country. The lack of general ground rules and regulation has sparked a growing concern that the realm of college athletics could grow into a 'Wild West' frontier of sorts, where athletes are able to profit as much as they want while smaller schools' recruiting effort are limited due to recruits seeking out larger institutions in order to make money off of their NIL.

"So how do we oversee this properly?" Sankey said. "If the outcome of the Alston case is we have to be less restrictive in NCAA rules, then we're back in this conversation about congress. That's the difficulty of being a conference commissioner, an athletics director, or a compliance coordinator right now."

The impact that NIL will have on not only smaller college athletics departments but the scope of amateur athletics as a whole has yet to be seen. However, with little legislation surrounding the issue, athletic directors and coaches have had to adapt on the fly in order to keep up with the quickly-evolving manner of NIL.

Florida Gators football coach Dan Mullen was the first coach to speak at SEC Media Days. It wasn't long after his Q&A session began that questions surrounding NIL began to emerge.

"It's a learning curve, obviously," Mullen answered. "You're looking at the state law that we have in Florida, and any time you're adapting to a new law within the state and a new law that directly affected our football program, there's a big learning curve.

"I'm really excited about it. I'm excited about the opportunities it presents our players. I think it's great for the players, but I think there is a big learning curve."

Mullen remarked that he had hosted meetings with his players regarding the legality of NIL — the dos and don'ts, per se. While the amount of money that a player can bring in might not be set at the current moment, there are limitations as to exactly what companies can sponsor athletes. Alcohol and tobacco companies as well as adult entertainment venues are, for example, off limits.

"We had a team meeting on it this morning, of continuing to educate ourselves, educate each other, continue to grow and learn within the law," Mullen said. "What's the best way to help the players operating within the law and doing things the right way?

"So I think we're going to be on a learning curve here for a little bit of time as we get into it. I have to get special name, image, and likeness lawyers interpreting the state law to make sure that we get it set the right way."

Another growing concern among some college football fans is the departure from amateurism in the sport. With players being able to profit off of their NIL, does the amateurism label need to be thrown out the window?

An accompanying concern is that players will become more concerned with their NIL and ability to profit rather than their program and their contributions to the team.

LSU coach Ed Orgeron expressed his hopes that his football players will remain focused on what brought them to his Tigers in the first place: football.

"I just know this, a lot of players, I think they're going to get a lot of stuff," Orgeron said. "Obviously, the real world's not like that. You have to go out and compete.

"But I do hope that, when we get to the locker room, the focus is on football, and I think that's where we have to bring the focus back. When it's time to focus on NIL stuff, focus on NIL stuff. When it's time to focus on football and academics, focus on football and academics, and that's what I'm going to talk about."

LSU junior defensive back Derek Stingley Jr. stands to be one of the more profitable athletes in the conference regarding NIL. Despite state legislation having been in effect for less than three weeks, Stingley has already signed a deal with restaurant chain Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux.

Stingley revealed that he sees athletes' newfound ability to profit off of their NIL as an opportunity for players to learn how to manage their finances before heading to the NFL.

“I see this as an opportunity for a lot of players to deal with money before they get to the NFL,” Stingley said. “Because you hear about a lot of people in the NFL, they have a little difficulty with money in the long run and I think it’s good that we get to deal with this before the big money comes.

"I think it’ll be good.”

Stingley's point does provide a different perspective on the issue, but it doesn't address athletes that won't be taking their skills to the professional level. However, it does bring up an important learning tool for athletes: financial management.

Regardless of whether federal legislation comes in the near future, NIL is here to stay. Conference commissioners like Sankey, coaches like Mullen and Orgeron and especially athletes like Stingley will have to adapt to the dramatic shift in landscape that college sports are about to undergo. It's only been three weeks, but college football has already been changed forever.

Only time will tell whether that change is for the betterment or the detriment of the sport. Players profiting off of their contributions to their respective programs is certainly long overdue. It's up to commissioners, coaches, players and fans to adapt to the evolving world around them.

This story will be updated with video.