LeBron's agent calls for key agreement within NIL contracts amid transfer portal chaos

Acclaimed sports agent Rich Paul seems to believe that one significant addition should me made to Name, Image and Likeness deals in college sports, as programs continue to deal with major roster attrition due to the transfer portal each year.

Paul is the owner and operator of Klutch Sports Group, which represents NBA all-time points leader LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), along with a plethora of other stars like Anthony Davis (Dallas Mavericks) and Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), among others in major American professional sports.

College athletics is taking the shape of the professional model that Paul has found success with. But the ever-evolving NIL era is missing a "contractual agreement" where there is an obligation on the student athlete's part, according to Paul.

As it stands, college players can transfer at will and are not bound to a school despite being signed to an NIL contract. Schools have attempted to push back on the issue in court without success, allowing players under contract to transfer without penalty.

"I think NIL should come with a contractual agreement," Paul said via the Sports Business Journal. "The negative perception and behavior within the transfer portal and things like that – If we're going to have student athletes get paid – we should teach them the proper way and the obligations that actually come with getting paid."

"If you sign with Ohio State, for that matter, and you sign an NIL deal for $3 million, then that should come with a term, two years, three years or whatever the case may be," Paul continued. "But that way, you're not signing with Ohio State for $3 million this year, and then you're going to TCU for $4 million next year, because that's going to hurt the purity of the game."

Transfer portal regulation could be around the corner, as the NIL space continues to change seemingly each year. But, for a college player to be obligated to one institution, athletes would likely need to be classified as employees, something that doesn't appear to be an option for the NCAA and College Sports Commission due to the potential for unionization.