Most college football fans are aware by now that the NCAA is investigating the Tennessee Vols due to quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s NIL deal that was signed way back in early 2022.
The smoking gun in the NCAA’s investigation appears to be a flight on a private jet to Knoxville that was provided by a collective.
Tennessee athletic director Danny White released a statement last week that stated that the NCAA was unable to find any violations in UT’s NIL dealings and as a result, they’re going after the Vols for that private jet ride that took place before collectives were considered boosters.
“After reviewing thousands of Tennessee coach and personnel phone records, NCAA investigators didn’t find a single NIL violation, so they moved the goalpost to fit a predetermined outcome,” wrote White. “They are stating that the nebulous, contradictory NIL guidelines (written by the NCAA not the membership) don’t matter and applying the old booster bylaws to collectives. If that’s the case, then 100% of the major programs in college athletics have significant violations.”