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The NIL era of college sports has been tumultuous to say the least. Kids have come from high school to D1 college teams and made more money than their professional counterparts. Athletes have committed to schools, not received their promised NIL money, and bolted mid-season. Some athletes have received their money and then decided they needed more, leading to acrimonious breakups that made national news. Major flips have occurred with tens of millions of dollars involved, with Bryce Underwood to Michigan being one of the most memorable and talked about in recent memory.
All of this NIL stuff has old school college sports fans, analysts and even coaches screaming from the mountaintops that it is going to cause the downfall of amateur athletics. Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban has been extremely vocal that NIL has made college football unrecognizable. And recently, he joined a college football commission that will look at how NIL can be reined in to make things fair across the board. Recently, Illinois head coach Brett Bielema had some things to say about NIL as well.
"You're going to see teams this year in college football, just because I know the landscape I am dealing with, that are probably in the neighborhood of $30-35, maybe some of them close to $40-million rosters- which is insanity at its best, but it's also awesome for our kids."Illinois HC Bret Bielema
"You're gonna see teams this year...that are probably in the neighborhood of $30-35, maybe even...$40 million rosters."
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) May 16, 2025
With a House settlement looming, @IlliniFootball HC @BretBielema believes we could see major spending before guardrails are fully established. pic.twitter.com/8086JKi9ln
Bielema also said he believes the volume spending is happening because schools see an end to the "Wild West" era of NIL coming soon. With political interest and a House settlement stemming from a profit-sharing agreement, this could be the end of pay to play NIL. However, getting the players to agree may be quite difficult. NIL came into existence based on a 9-0 Supreme Court ruling and players have been winning in court on a regular basis. Going to the table and agreeing to limitations or rules seems counterproductive for the athletes. It also doesn't benefit schools, like Michigan, who have NIL war chests and an alumni base among the richest in the world. Regardless, it is a strange time for college sports and change could be on the horizon.
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Vikings WR gets brutal injury news for second straight season
A Minnesota Vikings wide receiver's season is already over. The Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday that wide receiver Rondale Moore is being placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a leg injury that he suffered in the team's first preseason game against the Houston Texans this past weekend. It is a devastating blow for Moore, who is now being sidelined for an entire season, before it even begins, for the second year in a row. Moore signed a one-year, $2 million contract in free agency with the Vikings this offseason in the hopes he could return from a different injury that cost him the entirety of the 2024 season. Moore was a member of the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 after being acquired in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for backup quarterback Desmond Ridder. This is now two different teams that Moore has been a part of, but will never play a game for them due to injuries. Moore was injured while returning a punt. He began his career with the Arizona Cardinals, catching 135 passes for 1,201 yards over three seasons before being traded. He was never going to be counted on to be a key contributor for the Vikings offense this season, especially given the superstars they already have at wide receiver in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but he still had a chance to be an interesting depth player. Now it is fair to wonder what the rest of his career might even look like. Missing two full seasons due to two different leg injuries is going to be a brutal thing to try to come back from. Missing two seasons for any reason is difficult, but when you add the leg injuries to the equation, it makes the obstacle even steeper.
Perhaps Superman Paul Skenes has found his kryptonite
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes may continue to be one of the top contenders for the National League Cy Young Award, but there is one place where he has appeared mortal this season. On Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers did to Skenes what they have done to plenty of MLB pitchers in 2025 ... put up big offensive numbers. For the second time this season (Skenes also pitched in Milwaukee on June 25), the Brewers forced him from the game after just 4.0 innings on Tuesday night, logging six hits and four runs during his time on the mound. Both of those performances came at Milwaukee's home stadium (American Family Field) and both are now Skenes' shortest outings of the season. While another NL Central team has put up more runs against Skenes this season (the St. Louis Cardinals nicked him for five runs in 6.0 innings on April 8), no other team has had the same kind of success over multiple starts by Skenes in 2025 as have the Brewers inside their home stadium. In all this season, Skenes has given up 10 hits and eight runs in 8.0 innings in Milwaukee. It was his third career outing on the road against the Brewers, with his lone 2024 start representing arguably the best outing of his rookie season. On July 11, 2024, Skenes struck out 11 and didn't allow a hit over 7.0 innings as the Pirates would eventually post a 1-0 victory. Tuesday's short outing was highlighted by a pair of Milwaukee home runs, including a leadoff solo shot by Sal Frelick that quickly set the tone for the Brewers. While Milwaukee's hit parade helped raise Skenes' ERA on the season to 2.13, it's hardly any reason for concern in a season where the 23-year-old right-hander is still a heavy favorite (-600) to win the NL Cy Young Award, per BetMGM. Skenes struggling in Milwaukee is likely more yet another stamp of approval on the Brewers' potential to be a threat once the postseason arrives. With an 18-4 record since the All-Star break entering Tuesday, Milwaukee has taken over the NL Central race from the Chicago Cubs. So what's the good news for Skenes? This is Pittsburgh's last trip to Milwaukee this season and the next-to-last series for the Pirates against the red-hot Brewers. Milwaukee will visit PNC Park for a three-game series on Sept. 5-7, and if Skenes gets a chance for revenge against Milwaukee, there couldn't be a better place for him to take the mound. This season, in 11 starts covering 68.2 innings, Skenes has a 1.70 ERA in the Steel City.
Dan Campbell questions whether he set Lions up for failure
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