College Athletes Suffered When Schools Weren’t Ready For NIL

As reports of seven-figure name, image and likeness (NIL) deals for teenagers have swirled on social media — and while fans of The Good Old Days have derided those announcements as shameful evidence of how the NCAA landscape had irrevocably changed — some college athletes were asking journalists on social media how to file their taxes.

Lost in the shuffle of pay-for-play accusations, big-pocketed collectives and transfer portal hysteria is the reality that as the NIL era celebrates its first year in the books, many college athletes continue to navigate unfamiliar, complicated terrain without inclusive guidance.