Should not an NIL student who leaves a state institution of higher education before their eligibility is exhausted, at that institution, have to repay the state any and all tax dollars expended for the NIL student's benefits paid by the state institution for tuition, room and board, books, food plans and meals, etc.?
Why should taxpayers have to pay tuition, room and board, books, fees, meal plans for NIL students at state-funded institutions of higher education?
Kerri Paty
* * *
Athletic scholarships are a year-to-year basis. So until something is done to reform the chaos of college athletics, funding, NIL and transfer rules, any money or scholarships paid out, is strictly for the calendar or school year.
NIL deals may require said athlete sign for the duration of his/ her time at an institution, but we see how that played out.
I'm betting Nico won't see any more funding from his Tennessee NIL deal though. So not to worry, Tennessee dollars won't be going his way if he is at another school.
Gary Snodgrass
* * *
A recent letter suggested that when a college player leaves an institution before his eligibility is up that he be required to re-imburse the school for all benefits he received from state tax dollars. Wow, I wonder why nobody has thought of this before? Well, possibly because the University of Tennessee Athletic Department receives no money from the state to fund its sports teams.
Last year the UTAD generated $234 million in revenue. Every dollar came from either ticket sales, contributions, TV and Bowl revenue or naming rights (Food City Center). Not only does the UTAD not receive any state funds, they actually pay the university for the athlete's tuition, room and board and other expenses. In addition, the Vols provide the university with millions of dollars of free national advertising on the televised games. How many people were made aware of the university last spring on the Vols' run to the Baseball National Championship? Chancellor Donde Plowman said UT received 2,000 applications the week after the season was over.
NIL is a complete disaster but trying to require the student-athletes to repay their earnings when they leave is not the solution.
Douglas Jones