Report: NCAA Interviews John Ruiz, Looks Into Miami Hurricanes NIL Deals
The NCAA did not come out and provide immediate and specific guidelines for all of its members when Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) laws were passed in July of 2021. Rules were practically left to the states to figure out, and the NCAA has attempted to make modifications and enforce regulations along the way.
Sending a message across the college athletics landscape, the governing body of college athletics' biggest move yet broke on Tuesday.
According to Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger, the Miami Hurricanes are now being looked into for any potential violations involving NIL deals by NCAA investigators. It is believed to be the first serious NIL-related inquiry into a college athletic department so far.
Among those investigators interviewed during two recent days in the Miami area was John Ruiz, a Hurricanes' athletics booster who has sponsored 115 NIL deals in total, the majority with UM athletes.
Ruiz has handed out big deals to many of the Hurricanes' athletes current athletes such as quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and offensive tackle Zion Nelson, as well as incoming transfers in defensive tackle Darrell Jackson and basketball guard Nijel Pack, partnering the athletes with his LifeWallet and Cigarette (boat) Racing Team.
Although reporting of the investigation did not reveal specifics, it is believed that Pack's deal with Ruiz was a focal point in the booster's conversations with NCAA personnel, according to Dellenger.
“I’m extremely comfortable with what we are doing. I have nothing to hide,” Ruiz told SI, confirming the inquiry. “It went super well. The NCAA is trying to wrap their hands around this sudden change of environment. They’re trying to figure out how the landscape is working."
Ruiz went on to claim that, essentially, the NCAA is playing catch-up as things pertain to Name, Image and Likeness, that the guidelines being put in place can and do conflict with laws at the state level. From his perspective, Ruiz was able to offer the enforcement staff members relevant input that can help the organization navigate the changing college athletics landscape.
“A lot of NCAA bylaws are hard to reconcile with the ability and right to enter into NIL deals. I think that the NCAA is starting to get a handle on the fact that it’s not capable of navigating within the [state] NIL laws and their own bylaws. There is an internal conflict.
“I felt the people from the NCAA were extremely pleasant. They are tasked with the job of making sure they gather enough information and create a functioning standard for everybody. There has to be better regulation.”
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