Tom Brady appears at American Dream for the grand opening of Card Vault by Tom Brady Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tom Brady sounds off on what’s wrong with college football

Originally posted on NIL on SI | By JC Shelton | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 5:54 PM ET

College sports are significantly different from when Tom Brady led the Michigan Wolverines at quarterback in the late 1990s, and the retired seven-time Super Bowl champion is wary of the current landscape of college football in the NIL era.

The path that Brady took at Michigan is becoming a rarity in today's era. He appeared in only 6 games before getting his first real opportunity as a full-time starter as a junior. Brady went on to start his final two seasons before landing to the New England Patriots with the 199th pick in 2000 NFL Draft.

Fast forward to today, where players, especially quarterbacks, are tempted with lofty NIL packages and playing-time guarantees in the transfer portal. Players are no longer incentivized to develop behind the scenes, waiting their turn for a starting role.

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"I wasn’t at college to do anything other than have a great college experience, to go to school, to have camaraderie with my teammates and to compete at a high level," Brady said on "The Joel Klatt Show." "That’s really where the focus was, and at a young age, I think the focus needs to be."

The NCAA doesn't consider student athletes as employees of their schools, but players are basically professionals. And that has even trickled down to the high school ranks, where recruits are offered revenue-share contracts before playing a snap of college football.

That has created a shift to "messed up" priorities, according to Brady.

"I wonder whether many kids, these days, will learn those sustainable traits that, I think, are invaluable to their life and life experience," Brady continued. "Are we doing them a disservice because we are tempting them with some money in their pocket? The quick dollar, it’s very intriguing to get that quick dollar. To me, the priorities are a bit messed up."

This article first appeared on NIL on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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