Troy Aikman is one of many who is disillusioned with the state of NIL in college football, and he is finished contributing to his alma mater after a particularly bad experience.
In an interview with Richard Deitsch of The Athletic, Aikman opened up about how he contributed to a UCLA recruit’s NIL, only for the player to transfer after one season. That led the former quarterback to bemoan a lack of “accountability and responsibility” for those receiving the money.
“I gave money to a kid. I won’t mention who. I’ve done it one time at UCLA. Never met the young man,” Aikman said. “He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank you note. It’s one of those deals to where I’m done with NIL. I mean, I wanna see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it.”
While Aikman did not name the player, most believed he was referring to former UCLA quarterback Dante Moore. Moore was a top recruit who initially signed with UCLA, then transferred to Oregon after one season with the Bruins. He is now seen as a potential top pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
One of the criticisms of NIL is that lack of accountability. Since players are not contractually bound to a university, they can simply transfer without necessarily being beholden to the school. Georgia is even suing a former player about this situation.
Aikman is far from the only one finished with funding NIL, though his stance is much more firm than others. Until there is more structure to it, others may choose to follow his lead.
