The Esquire Coach

Speech Written for US Senate Hearing "Protecting the Integrity of College Athletics"

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 09:17:16 -0700

I am very passionate about the rights of college athletes and believe that the current system is unjust. College athletes deserve to receive more of the benefits that they bestow upon their respective colleges, universities, coaches and athletic departments. In an effort to push the conversation forward regarding college athletes rights I have written extensively on the subject in support of college athletes' rights, particularly regarding name, image, and likeness rights. My work has received the attention of state senators and civil rights activists. As such, I was asked to write the speech for George Wrighster who testified before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary during the Protecting the Integrity of College Athletics. I would like to share my body of work here. Here is the speech:

Good morning,

My name is George Wrighster, and I am a former college football player for the University of Oregon and a former NFL Player for the Jacksonville, Jaguars. I am a Fox Sports Radio host and the creator of the Unafraid Show, a sports news website that covers sports, entertainment, and the business of the industry. First, I would like to thank______________ for allowing me to testify today.

The college sports industry has reached a point where it can no longer ignore the blatant inequities that plague the college athletics system. It is no secret that college athletics is a billion-dollar industry that is propelled by undercompensated labor. In 2019, the Power 5 conferences, which include the Big 10 Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Pac-12 Conference, the Southeastern Conference, and the Big 12 Conference, generated over $2.9 billion in revenue.[i] However, the athletes who risk their bodies and sacrifice countless hours in...Read More

The “Saving College Sports” Roundtable at the White House

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 12:43:34 -0700

President Trump held a Saving College Sports roundtable to address the issues facing college sports. The round table was a who’s who of college sports with former University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, SEC commissioner Jim Phillips, and NCAA President Charlie Baker among others in attendance. Of those in the attendance, not one current college athlete was invited to be a part of the discussion. Again, allowing conversations about college sports that are devoid of the voice of the group of people who are affected the most - the college athletes.

College sports is experiencing a seismic shift that started in 2021 when college athletes gained the right to profit from their name, image, and likeness. This change was the result of tireless efforts by college athletes’ rights advocates who sought to bring more equity to college sports through the passage of state legislation. College sports has become a billion-dollar industry with coaches and sports administrators enjoying seven figure salaries. While many college athletes received scholarships, that value was not always commensurate with the value the athlete bestowed upon their university. Accordingly, college...Read More

The SCORE Act and Why it May not be the Best Deal for College Athletes

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 04:31:02 -0700

College sports is experiencing a seismic change. Division I colleges and universities are able to engage in revenue sharing with their respective athletes. This new revenue sharing model is the result of a historic college sports settlement that was recently approved, known as the House Settlement. The House settlement also established several other changes in college sports such as the implementation of team roster limits, the creation of the College Sports Commission, and the NIL deal reporting platform NIL Go. While the House Settlement ushered in may changes in college sports, it did not fix or even address all the issues facing college sports. It is for this reason, that the NCAA and Power 4 conferences continue to spend billions of dollars lobbying to Congress in hopes that Congress will pass favorable NCAA and Power 4 conference college sports legislation. Their most recent effort is known as the SCORE Act.

What is the...Read More

Will High School Athletes be Required to Disclose NIL Deals to NIL Go?

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 05:00:41 -0700

Earlier this year, the NCAA and Power 5 Conferences reached a historic college sports settlement known as the House Settlement. The House Settlement has resulted in sweeping changes in the college sports landscape. For the first time, Divsion I colleges and universities are allowed to share revenue with their atheletes. The NCAA and Power 5 conferences agreed to pay $2.8 billion in damages to foremer and current college athletes. The settlement also requires college athletes to submit their NIL deals that have an aggregate value of $600.00 or more to the new NIL deal clearinhouse NIL Go for reveiew. Once the deals are sumbitted. the College Sports Commission (CSC) review the deals to ensure that the deals are based on "true market value" for a valid business purpose and not "pay-for-play".
Since the settlement was approved, the focus has been on college athletes as the settlement and the case that led to the settlement invloved current and former college atheltes. However, the settlement could soon have a direct impact on high school athletes. The NCAA is considering a rule that would require incoming Division I athletes to disclose all NIL deals entered during their junior and senior years of high school. The NCAA would also extend this rule to require junior college athletes who transfer for to play for a Division I school to disclose their NIL deals entered while attending junior college. This type of rule would almost certainly face legal challenges. How fair would it be...Read More

The College Sports Commission's First NIL Deal Flow Report

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:10:12 -0700

This article updated to reflect the update information from the CSC
On September 4, 2025, the College Sports Commission released its first NIL Deal Flow Report. However, the next day on September 5^th the College Sports Commission released updated data as the CSC was made aware of a clerical reporting error in the data provided. Per the report, 28,342 college athletes and 1,227 institutions have registered and been approved to use the NIL Go platform as of August 31, 2025. Since the launch of NIL Go, a total of 8,359 deals are in the NIL Go system with total value of $79.8 million in NIL deals in the system. However, only 6,090 NIL deals have been cleared with a total value of $35.42 million in deals cleared. 332 deals have not been cleared. 75 deals have been resubmitted. 0 deals are in arbitration. Per the report, the most common clearance issues are a delay in providing or confirming required information, contradictory deal terms or mistakes in entering deal terms, and the deal not satisfying the valid business purpose...Read More

What is the College Sports Commission? What is NIL Go?

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 06:00:01 -0700

Earlier this year, the NCAA and Power 5 confernces reached a historic settlement known as the House Settlement. The House Settlement is the result of a case known as House v. NCAA. Under the settlement, the NCAA and Power 5 conferences agreed to pay over $2 billion in damages for loss NIL opportuntities. The settlement also opened the door to allow colleges and universities to share revenue with their athletes. These changes also led to the creation of two new entities in college sports. One of those is the College Sports Commission (CSC). The other is the NIL Go platform
What is the College Sports Commission?
The College Sports Commission (CSC) is a new organization charged with overseeing certain provisions of the House Settlement. Those provisions are revenue sharing, roster limit requirements, and the new NIL deal reporting platform, NIL Go. The College Sports Commission is an independent entity from the NCAA although the two organizations work together in some areas. The two organizations oversee different areas. The College Sports Commission is responsible for ensuring compliance with rules resulting from the House Settlement. The NCAA is responsible for enforcement matters such as the rules of the game, academic...Read More

Is The Univesity of Tennesse Deal With Adidas the Future for College Apparel Deals?

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 05:00:03 -0700

The University of Tennessee (Tennessee) recently announced that the school would be ending its apparel deal with Nike and going back to Adidas. A huge part of the decision was NIL opportunities for Tennessee athletes. Since the House Settlement was approved and revenue sharing began, many contended that schools and companies would find ways to legitimately exceed the $20.5 million cap. The structure of this new apparel deal between Adidas and Tennessee may be the blueprint for a legitimate way to offer college athletes financial opportunities above the revenue sharing cap.
According to Yahoo Sports, the deal between Adidas and Tennessee is a 10-year deal where the school will make roughly $10 million per year. The deal is set to take effect in the 2026-2027 school year. The deal is expected to “establish a new standard for investing in NIL” as University of Tennessee athletes are expected to receive a significant portion of the $100 million over the 10-year period. This is an example of the creative ways that universities and companies are developing to remain competitive in recruiting by providing creative financial incentives for their athletes.
According to Read More

The House Settlement Has Been Approved: Now What?

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 12:19:45 -0700

For more than a year, all of college sports have awaited the approval of the highly anticipated House Settlement. On Friday, June 6, 2025, Judge Claudia Wilken issued an order approving the House Settlement, thereby ushering in a new college sports world order. Approval of this settlement resolves three cases (House v. NCAA, Carter v. NCAA, and Hubbard v. NCAA) that was before the NCAA, and the Power 5 Conferences (SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, and the Pac-12). The NCAA and Power 5 Conferences faced up to $4.3 billion in damages if the cases went to trial.
Accordingly, the parties moved to settle the cases reaching a settlement agreement last May. After the fairness hearing on April 7t^h, many began to wonder if the settlement would be approved after the presiding judge took issue with the fact that several current and incoming college athletes had lost their roster sport due to schools’ preparation in anticipation of the settlement. After the parties noted that those athletes would not be adversely affected by the implementation of roster limits, the judge has issued an order approving the settlement.
A New Day in College Sports
This settlement agreement certainly marks a seismic shift in college sports as the concept of amateurism, if...Read More

Emergence of a New College Sports System Pending House Settlement Approval

Wed, 21 May 2025 09:19:41 -0700

It is only Wednesday and this week is shaping up to be an eventful one for college sports news. College sports is still rather impatiently waiting to see if Judge Wilken will approve the House settlement. Although approval has not been granted, details continue to emerge regarding how the industry is preparing for the implementation of the settlement. The Power 4 Conferences are establishing a College Sports Commission, Deloitte plans to run “NIL Go”, a platform that will be used to assess NIL deals, the NCAA plans to step away from amateurism enforcement, and the Power Conferences are asking their member schools to give up their right to sue.
All of these steps have been taken in preparation for a settlement that has yet to receive approval. There is a chance that the settlement will not be approved do due the issue with roster limits. Even though the settlement has not been approved, details of a completely revised college sports governance system is here nevertheless. Let’s discuss it!
NIL Deal Disclosure Requirement and NIL Go
If the settlement is approved, college athletes will be required to disclose any NIL deal(s) that in aggregate have a value of $600.00 or more. The athletes will be required to report these deals to the appointed individual at their university. Those deals will then be evaluated to determine...Read More

Will the Proposed Roster Limit Solution Lead to Approval of the House Settlement?

Thu, 08 May 2025 06:52:44 -0700

The attorneys in the House case have taken another step in their effort to convince Judge Wilken to approve the highly anticipated House Settlement. The House Settlement is the result of three cases against the NCAA and Power 5 Conferences. This settlement is expected to completely change the administration of college sports. If the settlement is not approved, the NCAA and Power 5 Conferences face up to $4.3 billion in damages. Last month, a fairness hearing was held where the judge heard arguments for and against the approval of the settlement. For the settlement to be approved, the judge must find that the settlement is fair, adequate, and reasonable to the members of the class.
During the hearing, the judge took issue with the results of how universities begun to prepare for the roster limit changes under the settlement. Schools cut players from various team rosters. Some even rescinded athletic offers to the new incoming class. The judge took issue with this and issued an order stating that the settlement would not be approved as is due to the impact of the roster limit changes. The judge ordered the attorneys to fix the issue. On May 7^th, the attorneys filed their proposed solution to the problem. In the proposed solution, plaintiffs’ attorneys...Read More