Boston College Football Head Coach Bill O’Brien Talks NIL, ‘Earn It’ Philosophy

The Eagles coach spoke on the NCAA’s Name, Image and Likeness Policy on Wednesday.

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Boston College Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien watches the replay board against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Ever since the NCAA implemented its Name, Image and Likeness Policy which went into effect on July 1, 2021, it has been a controversial topic to coaches, fans, and lawmakers. 

The most recent issue that has stemmed from the NIL rule is former Holy Cross and current UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka deciding to redshirt and will miss the remainder of the season after not receiving what was offered to him to transfer to the Rebels. 

On Wednesday, Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien was asked about NIL and how the program has dealt with the factors surrounding it.

“I think it's really important that when the time's right, that you explain to your team and their families how you do it,” said O’Brien. “I think everybody here at Boston College has a pretty good idea of how we've set it up. Things will change. There's a lot of litigation still to play out relative to revenue sharing and there's just a lot of things that are still kind of up in the air.” 

O’Brien also shared more detail about the “earn it” philosophy that has become a motto for the Eagles program. 

“We have an earn it philosophy at Boston College,” said O’Brien. “Meaning are you a good guy in the locker room? Are you a good teammate? Do you go to class? Do you participate in the community when called upon, or even doing it on your own? And if you check all those boxes and a few more boxes, and then you do that over a period of time, then you've earned it. To promise a guy, and this is me at Boston College, had nothing to do, I don't know anything about UNLV, Holy Cross. No idea about that stuff. But nobody will ever be promised anything here. They will have to come in here and earn and some people may listen to that and say ‘well coach, how you going to survive?’ We'll survive. We'll survive. Boston College a very special place. We have a lot to offer at Boston College besides NIL. If you come to BC and you get a BC degree, then NIL will seem like peanuts to you ten years down the road. Peanuts. So, NIL is a part of what we're doing, but at the same time, we have a very, very resilient football team that understands the earn it philosophy.”