Deion Sanders has always been interconnected with college sports. So it’s not a joke when he comes out and stresses that NIL deals should not interfere with games. While sports fans and players will always regard NILs as a saving grace and an ultimate opportunity for football stars to make a hefty sum. It can also land one in tight spots. On this, Paul Pierce, Keyshawn Johnson, and Skip Bayless engaged in an important debate.

On July 11th, on an episode of Undisputed, featuring Paul Pierce, Keyshawn Johnson, and Skip Bayless. Paul Pierce reiterated Deion’s stance, stating, “Deion Sanders reemphasized an ongoing theme of his when it comes to the NIL money given recruits. Deion said don’t put the bag ahead of the game.” Keyshawn Johnson strongly agreed with Sanders, elaborating on the potential pitfalls of prioritizing NIL money over the right school choice. “You can’t make a bad decision based on a number that you think you’re going to get in an NIL space. Those numbers aren’t real, Skip,” Johnson said, highlighting the often misleading nature of reported NIL figures. He provided a stark example of a top recruit who was promised $18 million by Florida but ended up receiving nothing, leading to a lawsuit.

“Think about the kid that was at Arizona State, the Arizona State quarterback that was supposed to go to Florida and get $18 million. You know how much of that he got? Zero,” Johnson emphasized, illustrating the murky nature of relying on NIL promises. The example that Keyshawn brings up is a direct reminder of an ongoing lawsuit. Former Florida recruit Jaden Rashada is suing Billy Napier and Hugh Hathcock over a failed NIL deal. Rashada was allegedly promised $13.85 million over four years but received none of it, prompting him to leave Florida and ultimately transfer to Georgia. However, this ain’t the only time NIL deals turned into something sour.

Only time will tell

247Sports went knee-deep into the NIL deals iceberg. A survey done by them showed that there is a major disparity regarding the earnings from NIL. Not only that, some recruits who were surveyed by 247Sports brought forward one more fact. “People get paid to play,” Recruit 14 told 247Sports. Although, understandably, only the best player or players will receive the best deals, however, this does point back to the statement that Coach Prime had made “Don’t put the bag in front of the game” highlighting the fact that players will stop playing for their fun and growth and will start chasing money.

Recruit 14 further added, “But the numbers that you be hearing are outrageous. … People are just lying and pushing it past what it is.” This brings out another issue that Keyshawn had also mentioned during the episode. “Because the $250,000 or $300,000 that you’re going to get, you got to pay taxes on that. So that number, you’re going to cut that in half, depending on the state,” Keyshawn had stated. The numbers might look lucrative but after going through the legal loopholes and exchanging hands, by the time the player gets their hand on the money, it will never match the amount promised initially.

While coaches like Deion Sanders will always put the game first, it for time to tell how twisted the entire NIL landscape will potentially get.