It's been just a few days since former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was dismissed from the team by Vols' head coach Josh Heupel.
We all know the reason...Nico wanted to hold the Vols' hostage demanding more money than the $2.4 million he was being paid. That came out to $46,000 per month but Nico wanted $80,000 per month or did he? I truly believe his father, Nic Iamaleava along with Nico's agent screwed up the entire process.
It started during the Winter Portal window, when his agent started feeling around, fishing for interest from other schools. When he contacted Oregon and Coach Dan Lanning, Lanning picked up the phone and called Josh Heupel, who wasn't at all pleased. Heupel and the Vols decided to let the process run its course through spring practice. Nico and his dad were asking for more money during the winter months but there was nothing decided.
Schools other than Oregon have been contacted like Southern Cal, UCLA, Notre Dame and Texas Tech. However none of them have expressed much interest at all in taking in Nico and his salary demands. The bottom line is this: Nico's dad and his agent have really messed things up....in a big way. I think greed took over and dad reacted a lot like other people, thinking his kid was worth a lot more than he actually is. I've seen this so many times in youth sports. Fathers who weren't good enough to play ball at a higher level are living their dreams through their children.
The family dynamic of the Iamaleavas spells things out pretty simply. The father is trusted with making all the decisions affecting his family's welfare. In this situation, the father over-stepped his authority, and has placed what was once a promising career in jeopardy. You must also place some blame on the agent, He made a lot of moves late in the process without informing Nico or his dad. The agent then tried to place blame on Tennessee but there was nothing to substantiate it.
It would be a shame if this entire scenario severely damaged Nico's career but that is a distinct possibility. You have to feel sorry for Nico, at least a little bit. But as for the father and the agent, they're getting what they deserve.
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Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com