As the landscape of college football continues to adapt to the introduction of NIL earnings, fans, former players, and media pundits alike are calling for an emphasis on financial literacy. With more and more programs beginning to emphasize luxury cars and designer watches, fans are realizing that the days of brand loyalty and hometown heroes are now behind them.
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In an attempt to help future generations understand the fleeting nature of their newfound financial situations, the Carolina Panthers legend himself, Cam Newton, imparted both a reminder and a warning to the current cast of college athletes.
On the latest episode of the aptly titled 4th & 1 with Cam Newton podcast, the 2015 regular season MVP highlighted the predecessors of the NIL era.
“People have come before you. Crawled, walked, burnt, got killed for your ability to receive a stipend for your collegiate time. Appreciate that. This is not generational money. Even if it’s a million dollars, bro you 19 years old, doggie. That money is going to be spunt by the time you hit 21… All this NIL money is to do is to let you say ‘Bro, I’m straight, while I’m in school.’ The goal, the ultimate goal, is still to make it to the league.”
While the percentage of college athletes who ultimately make it to the NFL is incredibly slim, Newton’s message should still ring true for all. Do not let your end goal be hindered by temporary success.
He may have missed out on the NIL era, but Newton certainly didn’t miss out on his fair share of professional paydays, either. Having netted more than $130 million in career earnings throughout his 11-year NFL career, the former first-overall draft pick is incredibly familiar with the difference in game checks. Collegiate football players can trust the former quarterback when he says that,
“That [NFL] money a little different… They ain’t about to sit up there and say they’re going to hold your money up. They ain’t going to do none of that. It’s going to be there every Tuesday, bro, like clockwork.”
Considering that Newton comes from an era that saw Heisman trophy winners be stripped of their hardware just for signing autographs and sports paraphernalia, it’s understandable as to why he views the world of college football as a business first and foremost.
Cam Newton suggests players are being deceived by NIL deals
Despite maintaining that he is all for student athletes receiving their fair, Newton had also previously stated that he believes that players are being “deceived” by the lump sums of cash being offered by these universities. Suggesting that impoverished players are getting caught up in the sensationalized dollar amounts, Newton has made several attempts at spreading the message that the checks are not as hefty as they may seem.
“That’s still not enough money to sustain you for the rest of your life. That’s just something that you can have, a little cushion, to say that ‘Okay, now I can take care of myself.’ …I was making three to four thousand dollars every quarter, and that was my scholarship check. I had to make that motherf*cker stretch like a gymnast.”
Newton has clearly been beating this drum for quite a while, and he’s showing no signs of stopping until the next generation of athletes conveys their understanding of his message. Seeing as he has the right intentions, he should feel encouraged to keep doing so.
Nevertheless, there will continue to be a fair share of student athletes who get caught up in their own hype and subsequently blow through what could very well be the biggest paychecks of their lives. Hoping to prevent as many of those tragedies as possible, Newton will continue to do his best to spread messages of financial literacy and responsibility to student athletes, a more than noble cause, to say the least.
