Jay Bilas believes NIL has cleaned up longstanding controversy

Jay Bilas is certainly in favor of college athletes being allowed to benefit off of their Name, Image and Likeness. The prominent college basketball broadcaster has voiced his support for the athletes’ right to make money on their own terms. Or even be compensated by the schools and NCAA straight up.

As NIL has taken off in the last year, there’s been a lot of disorganization and confusion on the matter. While there are still a lot of kinks to be ironed out, Bilas believes NIL has cleared up a longstanding issue in NCAA sports. Here is some of what he wrote in a recent article for ESPN:

“In years past, when amateurism restrictions were the order of the day, uncomfortable questions would arise around athletes. Where did he get the money for that car? How could he afford that watch? Who paid for those tattoos? How did she pay for the plane ticket for that workout with a WNBA player that we saw on social media? Too many times in the past, such questions were asked, and compliance and NCAA inquiries would follow. And, there was the appearance of a racial component to many of the questions and inquiries. With NIL, such questions have largely gone away, and that is a major positive. Nobody cares anymore, nor should they. It is not their business, and it never was.”

Bilas believes the athletes can be free to do as they please and spend their personal money who they want without the NCAA looming over their shoulder.

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He also took a shot at the NCAA over NIL misconceptions, explaining how wrong the original detractors were regarding the issue.

“Critics of NIL predicted that only the top 1% of athletes would make any money. It was said that the star quarterback would benefit while the linemen blocking for him would be penniless and upset at the disparity. Coaches said that differing levels of compensation would lead to fights and dissension in the locker room. Because it just wasn’t fair unless everyone was getting the same amount in the NIL space. Of course, none of that was really true,” wrote Bilas. “Athletes, from star players in high-revenue sports to walk-ons to charismatic athletes in lesser-viewed sports, have found the NIL space to be quite lucrative.

“While there were and are questions about ‘fairness,’ whether it is truly fair for some athletes to make big money while others may not, there has never been such fairness in college athletics. In Division I athletics, less than 60% of athletes get scholarship money. And most sports have strict scholarship restrictions that do not allow the number of scholarships to approach roster limits.

“The very idea that the NCAA and its members really care about fairness is undercut by this undeniable fact.”