College athletes, and the possibility of their status going from amateur to school employee, didn’t look good to Clemson University head football coach Dabo Swinney.
Last month, a federal judge barred the NCAA from enforcing a rule prohibiting the use of NIL compensation money for player recruitment. The judge wrote that the NCAA’s ban would likely violate federal antitrust laws and harm athletes.
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Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney looks on during a game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Lance King/Getty Images)
The first steps toward employee status for college athletes began before the ruling, as local officials at the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Dartmouth men’s basketball players are employees, and the first student-athlete This could pave the way for elections to establish a trade union.
Swinney did not agree with this model.
“In the world we’re in right now, the best thing for a coach is for (the athletes) to be employees,” Siwiny told the Post and Courier last week. “The worst thing (for players) is to become employees. That’s not the world we want for an 18-year-old. … I think we’ve lost our way.”
Swinney said he would like to see athletes receive a paycheck, with a focus on education, rather than athletes receiving one or the other.
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney looks on before the start of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl vs. Kentucky Wildcats game at Everbank Stadium on December 29, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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“(I) think the NIL is great,” he said, via Clemson Insider. “I’m really all for it. I’m all for enhancing the scholarships the way you want to, but I also understand the reality that 98 percent of these kids are not going to play in the NFL.”
“We need to educate young people in this society. No one talks about the value of education anymore.”
Swinney is 401(k) for athletesif you withdraw your money early, you will be charged a penalty.
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney during the college football game between the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets and the Clemson Tigers at Clemson Memorial Stadium on November 11, 2023 in Clemson, South Carolina. (John Byram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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It is clear that NIL will be a major factor in future university recruitment processes. A coach like Swinney will have to plan to keep up with the times.
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