Reggie Bush once had his Heisman Trophy revoked because he accepted money while playing at USC. Bush regained his trophy in 2024 – around 14 years after it was taken – because of “enormous changes in the college football landscape” (quote from Heisman trust, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel). The phrase, of course, was referring to Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), implemented in 2021.
Advertisement
Before NIL, the best college players received illegal under-the-table payments for decades. But, NIL legalized most of those payments and brought them to the surface. The next step – direct payments from colleges to athletes – came into effect on July 1. This allows both top-end football players and athletes from all sports to make money.
Enabling talented people to profit off of their skills is undeniably a good thing. However, that doesn’t mean every development from NIL has been positive in college football. Veteran QB Cam Newton believes the good has come with one major downside: a single-minded, individualistic approach.
“Kids now, in this NIL Era, the thing I hate most is it’s a lot of lazy players. It’s a lot of entitled players. It’s a lot of immature players [and] ‘me, me, me’ players. And it’s like no, bro, lead with work… lead with the grind… all the [good stuff is] going to come,” Cam Newton said during an interview with rapper, Wale.
As a result of the NIL, collegiate stars no longer have to rely on a professional contract to hit big financially. However, Newton didn’t have that same foundation to fall back on if the NFL didn’t work out. As a result, he had to set an example for teammates and demonstrate true leadership capabilities. Newton explained how he accomplished the same by citing a personal example.
“When I went to Auburn, I was like… ‘if we go to a BCS game… I’m out of here.’ Cause… that means we have won 10 to 11 games. That means the team success, and my impact on the team, was going to be able to be showcased throughout that year.” – Cam Newton
Meanwhile, the qualities Newton developed in college simply aren’t valued as highly by most players in the modern era, a fact which Nick Saban admitted in the past. However, Newton’s path to the pros – and strong career in them – shows their importance. The players who understand that will always make their way to the next level. The ones that don’t, might have a tough challenge.
