Kirby Smart of Georgia raises concerns about how NIL impacts hiring
Smart’s statements were made immediately after those of Nick Saban on Capitol Hill.
Coach Kirby Smart of Georgia football raised concerns about new recruits in the age of paid college players and brand, image, and likeness.
Attending Georgia’s Pro Day to cheer on the former Bulldogs players who worked out in front of scouts to boost their value ahead of the NFL Draft, Smart told reporters that the next generation of talent is trying to take advantage of the chance to play sports.
According to Smart, via On3 Sports, “It’s a great sell to the kids that will listen to it.” Many of them have inquiries regarding NIL. They have no desire to inquire about the actions of your NFL players. I believe that player development is far more crucial than providing them with NIL.
Smart made these comments at the same time as former Alabama football coach Nick Saban criticized NIL’s significance in the previous season. It played a part in his decision to quit, he disclosed to ESPN earlier this month. According to him, athletes were requesting “assurances” that they would participate as well as “how much are you going to pay me?” According to Saban, the goal of the program was to prepare the athletes for their potential NFL careers and futures.
“So I’m saying to myself, ‘Maybe this doesn’t work anymore, that the goals and aspirations are just different and that it’s all about how much money can I make as a college player,’” Saban said.
“It’s not a bad thing, per se. I’m not saying it’s incorrect; I’m simply pointing out that it’s not our core values and the reason we’ve succeeded over the years.”
Then, earlier this week, Saban discussed NIL at a roundtable session on Capitol Hill.
When Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, questioned Saban about if the “current chaos” in college sports was the reason for his resignation, he responded, “All the things I’ve believed in for all these years – 50 years of coaching – no longer exist in college athletics.” “It has always been about helping people become more successful in life and about developing athletes.
“We have all the recruits around for breakfast on Sunday with their parents, my wife even mentioned to me. Every time she met with the mothers, she would discuss how she would positively influence their sons and ensure that they received excellent care. Just before I retired, she asked me, “Why are we doing this?” “What do you mean?” I asked. “All they care about is how much you’re going to pay them,” the woman stated. It doesn’t matter to them how you plan to grow them—that’s what we’ve always done. What is the purpose of your actions?
“That kind of served as a warning sign to me that this situation is actually not good for the youth, which is why I always took the actions that I did. I did it, my dad did it. That’s why I’ve always thought college sports are more exciting than NFL sports because you have the chance to shape the lives of young people.”
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