Nico Iamaleava has been making headlines recently for his demands to the University of Tennessee. The former five-star quarterback out of Warren High School reportedly sought a $4 million NIL deal and missed team practices because the Vols weren’t meeting his demands. This holdout ultimately led to the program severing its ties with Iamaleava.
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However, LeSean McCoy is ready to back Nico up, as he had a few things to say to the NCAA about what led to this situation. On an episode of The Facility, the former RB noted that he had been watching the Tennessee situation develop from afar — and he was very much disappointed.
McCoy lamented that the NCAA never found anything wrong when they held the power. But now that the players have theirs, and are using it to get their payday, it’s somehow become an issue.
“Once the players have power, it’s a whole issue. It’s like everybody goes into this panic mode, right? But for all these years, the NCAA has been taking money from these kids for years,” he said.
McCoy then shared a story to back up his point. He recalled how, back when he played at the University of Pittsburgh, they were selling Heisman shirts with his name on them in the stands.
McCoy could see people in the crowd wearing those shirts with his name and face, but at the end of the day, he was heading back to his college dorm room as a broke student. He recounted that he and his friends would struggle to scrape together enough cash just to buy dinner.
Meanwhile, the NCAA and the school were cashing in on McCoy’s name, image, and likeness — something that went on for years. And it was unfair, to say the least.
“They’re making money off this stuff!” McCoy exclaimed. “I didn’t get nothing. Now the rules have changed, and it’s an issue?”
It’s an interesting point that McCoy raises. Even though $4 million is a lot of money, it likely pales in comparison to what Iamaleava generated through ticket sales and TV ratings. But now, because Nico wants to be fairly compensated for his worth, it’s suddenly a concern. It shouldn’t be.
.@CutOnDime25 sides with Nico Iamaleava after his NIL dispute with Tennessee
“Once the players have power, it’s a whole issue… but for all these years the NCAA has been taking money from these young kids for years.” pic.twitter.com/MmPvd6RUZ0
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) April 14, 2025
Iamaleava is now entering the transfer portal and searching for a new school amid the NIL dispute. What’s more troubling is that reports claim Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel removed the quarterback from the team without speaking to him in person. That feels downright cruel. Iamaleava is currently favored to transfer to UCLA.
The facts are clear at this point: the NCAA was unprepared when it introduced the NIL. They simply allowed it to happen without setting any restrictions. In fact, they made it easier for players to transfer schools. This has turned college football into a sport where the top programs buy their way to success.
Last year, the Oregon Ducks paid $969 million in NIL deals to players. Texas A&M paid $849 million. So the question is: How significant is $4 million in the grand scheme of things for Tennessee? As McCoy puts it, if you want to win, cough up that bread.
