Athlete contracts
FILE - Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher speaks to reporters in Cleveland on March 12, 2020. With sports betting now legal in more than half the states and generating millions in revenue for once-apprehensive professional sports leagues, college conferences are starting to explore ways to cash in, too. The MAC was the first to jump in, selling the rights to its data and statistics to a company called Genius Sports, which will in turn sell it to sportsbooks. Steinbrecher said it is impossible to ignore the changing reality. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
College sports eye gambling money amid safeguard concerns

By Ralph D. Russo 21 hrs ago

Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders reacts following the school's Blue and White Spring football game, an NCAA college football contest, Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Column: A wildly entertaining spat between 2 coaching stars

By Paul Newberry May. 20, 2022 02:25 AM EDT

FILE - At left, Alabama head coach Nick Saban yells to the sideline during the first half of Alabama's NCAA college football scrimmage, Saturday, April 16, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. At right, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher reacts to an official's call during the second half of the team's NCAA college football game against Mississippi, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, in Oxford, Miss. Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher called Nick Saban a “narcissist” Thursday, May 19, 2022. after the Alabama coach made “despicable” comments about the Aggies using name, image and likeness deals to land their top-ranked recruiting classes. Saban called out Texas A&M on Wednesday night for “buying” players. (AP Photo/File)
'We're done': A&M's Fisher fires back at 'narcissist' Saban

By Ralph D. Russo May. 19, 2022 11:42 AM EDT

FILE - Alabama coach Nick Saban watches players warm up for the College Football Playoff championship NCAA football game against Georgia on Jan. 10, 2022, in Indianapolis. Saban called out Texas A&M on Wednesday night, May 18 for “buying” players in its top-ranked recruiting class with name, image and likeness deals, saying Crimson Tide football players earned more than $3 million last year “the right way.” (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Saban calls out Texas A&M for using NIL deals to buy players

May. 19, 2022 01:53 AM EDT

FILE - Kansas players celebrate a win over North Carolina after a college basketball game in the finals of the men's Final Four NCAA tournament, Monday, April 4, 2022, in New Orleans. College football and men's basketball players on scholarship in one of the major conferences can expect to soon earn a minimum of $50,000 each year he plays because of the influx of cash from so-called booster collectives brokering name, image and likeness deals. That prediction, based on market trends, was made this week by Blake Lawrence, co-founder and CEO of a company that helps athletes and schools navigate the ever-changing NIL landscape. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
States hands off when it comes to NCAA, athlete compensation

By Jim Vertuno May. 16, 2022 02:45 AM EDT

FILE - Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith answers questions during a news conference, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, in Columbus, Ohio. The NCAA seems to have inadvertently opened the door for boosters when it comes to college athletes cashing in on their fame. The latest guidance was developed by a group of college sports administrators that included Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)
Keeping schools out of NIL dealings opened door for boosters

By Ralph D. Russo May. 13, 2022 01:46 PM EDT

FILE - Alabama celebrates after their win against Ohio State in an NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. College football and men's basketball players on scholarship in one of the major conferences can expect to soon earn a minimum of $50,000 each year he plays because of the influx of cash from so-called booster collectives brokering name, image and likeness deals.That prediction, based on market trends, was made this week by Blake Lawrence, co-founder and CEO of a company that helps athletes and schools navigate the ever-changing NIL landscape. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
NIL expert predicts $50,000 minimum pay for Power 5 players

By Eric Olson May. 10, 2022 03:04 PM EDT

FILE - UConn's Paige Bueckers stretches during a practice session for a college basketball game in the final round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament April 2, 2022, in Minneapolis. In 2019, California became the first state to pass a law allowing athletes to earn money on endorsements, autograph signings and other activities, and by July 2021, the NCAA lifted its decades-old ban. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
As leaders lobby, NCAA searches for ways to rein in boosters

By Ralph D. Russo May. 05, 2022 06:09 PM EDT

FILE - UConn's Paige Bueckers stretches during a practice session for a college basketball game in the final round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament April 2, 2022, in Minneapolis. In 2019, California became the first state to pass a law allowing athletes to earn money on endorsements, autograph signings and other activities, and by July 2021, the NCAA lifted its decades-old ban. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
Miami's Wong shows college sports hurtles toward free market

By Jim Vertuno May. 05, 2022 04:45 PM EDT

FILE - Alabama coach Nick Saban watches players warm up for the College Football Playoff championship NCAA football game against Georgia on Jan. 10, 2022, in Indianapolis. Saban is concerned about the current state of college football. He recently told The Associated Press "I don't think what we’re doing right now is a sustainable model.” (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
AP source: SEC, Pac-12 leaders to push for NIL law in DC

By Ralph D. Russo May. 05, 2022 12:25 AM EDT

FILE - NCAA President Mark Emmert speaks at the opening business session of the NCAA convention Jan. 19, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. Emmert is stepping down after 12 years on the job. NCAA Board of Governors Chairman John DeGioia announced the move Tuesday, April 26, 2022, and said it was by mutual agreement. Emmert will continue to serve in his role until a new president is selected and in place or until June 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
NCAA President Mark Emmert stepping down no later than 2023

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 26, 2022 08:24 PM EDT

Stanford forward Cameron Brink (22) celebrates with teammates as confetti flies after Stanford beat Texas 59-50 in a college basketball game in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA tournament, Sunday, March 27, 2022, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Women's Final Four can be a financial windfall for players

By Pat Eaton-Robb Mar. 30, 2022 04:16 PM EDT

FILE -The March Madness logo is shown on the court during the first half of a men's college basketball game in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021. Kansas, Villanova, North Carolina and Duke will play in the first Final Four to take place under the new world of “name, image and likeness” endorsements in college sports. It allows college players to earn money through endorsements. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
March Madness paying off for players under mishmash of rules

By Eddie Pells Mar. 30, 2022 01:01 PM EDT

NCAA Division I Board calls for review of NIL policies

Feb. 18, 2022 06:10 PM EST
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — NCAA Division I's highest-ranking governing body called for a review Friday of how name, image and likeness compensation policies are impacting...

FILE - Rep. Chip LaMarca talks on his phone during a break in a legislative session April 29, 2021, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. With millions of dollars pouring into endorsements for college athletes, the latest battleground in the recruiting wars is the statehouse: A handful of states are already considering changing barely-dried rules to help their flagship schools land — or keep — top prospects. LaMarca is interested in tweaking a state law, to let schools get more directly involved in helping athletes make deals. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
Statehouses latest front in college athlete recruiting wars

By Jim Vertuno Feb. 04, 2022 12:15 PM EST

Fresno State's Hanna Cavinder, left, with sister Haley Cavinder, center, and head coach Jaime White, background right, in the game against UC Merced on Dec. 28, 2019, in Fresno, Calif. It is a man's world six months after the NCAA cleared the way for college athletes to earn money on their celebrity. Men lead the way in total name, image and likeness compensation and have more NIL activities than women. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee via AP)/The Fresno Bee via AP)
Column: Get comfortable with college players being paid

By Ralph D. Russo Feb. 03, 2022 03:28 PM EST

FILE - BYU football players enter the field to warm up for an NCAA college football game against Utah in Provo, Utah, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. NCAA enforcement has inquired about how college athletes are earning money off their names, images and likenesses at multiple schools as it attempts to police activities that are ungoverned by detailed and uniform rules. BYU is the one school that has publicly acknowledged providing the NCAA with information about an NIL deal. (AP Photo/George Frey, File)
Lack of detailed NIL rules challenges NCAA enforcement

By Ralph D. Russo Jan. 28, 2022 05:05 PM EST

Former Hawaii coach June Jones rejects offer to return

Jan. 22, 2022 01:35 AM EST
HONOLULU (AP) — Former Hawaii football coach June Jones has declined a proposal to return to lead the program for a second time. The school's wins...

AP-Sportlight-Week Ahead

By The Associated Press Dec. 30, 2021 04:06 PM EST
Dec. 31 1961 — Paul Hornung, on leave from the Army, scores 19 points to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 37-0 win over the New York Giants for their...

FILE - Texas players sing "The Eyes Of Texas" after defeating Kansas State 22-17 in an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. Six months after one of the biggest rule changes in the history of college sports, money for athletes is being pledged by the millions in a development that has raised concerns about the role of wealthy alumni eager to back their beloved alma maters. At Texas, one group is dangling $50,000 a year for individual offensive linemen while another says it already has $10 million promised for Longhorns athletes. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
Latest NIL twist: Millions being pledged to college athletes

By Jim Vertuno Dec. 14, 2021 03:23 PM EST