The NCAA’s NIL rules come into force on July 1 finally allowing college athletes to strike business deals for their name. And with it rose an old comment by Clemson HC Dabo swinney.
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The Clemson Tigers have been one of the best football programs in the country. But Clemson HC Dabo Swinney is in the headlines for the wrong reasons. Swinney, who has led Clemson to six straight CFB Playoff appearances and two National Championships, is being lit up on Twitter for a quote in which he said he would quit coaching if college athletes were paid.
With the NIL rules starting from the 1st, college athletes can and will get paid for their names and brand values. So Twitter erupted with Swinney’s comment.
What are the NIL rules?
The NCAA’s new NIL rules come into effect today. The rules state that college athletes can get compensation for the use of their name and celebrity status. Examples include being paid for autographs, appearing in an advertisement, or providing a social media shoutout. It means that a business can strike a deal with an athlete and pay them to tout their services or product.
Dabo Swinney said he would quit coaching if athletes got paid in 2019.
“We try to teach our guys, use football to create the opportunities, take advantage of the platform and the brand and the marketing you have available to you,” Swinney said. “But as far as paying players, professionalizing college athletics, that’s where you lose me. I’ll go do something else because there’s enough entitlement in this world as it is.”
It’s not the only time Swinney has said something like that. In a 2019 interview, he said he may go to the pros if the NCAA decides to “professionalize college athletics.”
“Who knows? They may do away with college football in three years. There may be no college football. They may want to professionalize college athletics. Well, then, maybe I’ll go to the pros. If I’m going to coach pro football, I might as well do that,” Swinney said, per ESPN. “I may get a terrible president or a terrible AD one day. I don’t know. I have no idea what’s down the road. But I know what we have at Clemson is special, and I wanted to make a commitment to the university. That’s what the message of the contract was.”
