Legendary Retired Coach Weighs in on State of NIL: 'Figure This Out'

Mike Krzyzewski had some strong thoughts on the 'chaotic' state of NIL

Joshua S. Kelly-Imagn Images

College athletics are in a state of flux the likes of which we have not seen throughout their history in the era of the transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness.

Legendary former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski got out of the coaching game really before the train fell off the tracks, and by the sounds of it he doesn't regret hanging up the whistle when he did. Krzyzewski, better known as Coach K, did an interview with Fox and among the many topics discussed was of course the state of how things are in both college basketball and college football right now.

Krzyzewski admitted that he does not have a perfect solution, but he thinks there needs to be a complete overhaul of the system of governance within conferences and across the NCAA.

"There’s no transparency at all, and the NCAA has really not done a great job in this...So you need the leadership, I think, of the power-four conferences, their commissioners, more than the NCAA," he told Fox. "I think there has to be a new model, and I think those commissioners are the ones that have to come together to figure this out."

What exactly a 'new model' looks like, Krzyzewski admits he is unsure, but he did say it should be left up to the veteran coaches across the sport to determine what the best solution forward for a sustainable future should be. Coach K pointed out the obvious that college football has moved closer to the professional model and said that basketball needs to essentially do the same thing.

As someone who coached one of the most successful programs in the history of college athletics for over 40 years, Krzyzewski does not want to see the game he loves go further off the rails than it already has. He issued a stern warning that the way things are going, college athletics in general are in grave danger if something does not happen to put guardrails and transparency in place.

"If there’s neither transparency nor some type of limit, this is going to keep going, man. I don’t know where it’ll end," Krzyzewski warned, adding that he feels the game is still in a great place and he wants to see it remain healthy for the long haul. "It’s really an incredible time for college athletics, and I hope these leaders take the lead, put their arms around this, and put this on the course for a smoother future for all the sports, really."

Coaches like Krzyzewski will be instrumental in charting a responsible path forward for not only basketball, but college athletics as a whole. Importantly, he did add the fact that he believes in the cause of NIL and what it was intended to be used for, but of course mentioned that the intention is not reality and consequences have happened as a result.

While Krzyzewski may think he does not have all the answers, and by his words, he certainly does not, experienced voices like his getting together in the same room and figuring things out is ultimately the only way for things to settle down and some sense of normalcy to return.