FSU legend has strong take on paying college football players

College athletics programs have been navigating the 'wild west' of the new Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) era since the NCAA adopted an interim policy in July of 2021 that allows college athletes to profit outside of their allotted scholarships.

While it is a widespread notion that players should benefit from the backbreaking work it takes to thrive as a student-athlete, it has seemingly started a tailspin as the money grab at both the university level and the bigger picture of the NCAA altogether.

One of the sport’s most polarizing figures is Colorado’s head coach, Deion Sanders. Sanders was a star player at Florida State in the late 1980s and went on to enjoy a stellar career in the NFL after being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft. Alongside many others, Sanders is concerned about the projected future fueled by the competitive financial advantage that some of college football’s bluebloods possess.

“The competitive advantage is the school that has hundreds of millions of dollars, and not us,” Sanders said in an interview with USA Today.“You look at who’s always in the playoffs, you can look at their budget, and look at this budget. That’s the advantage

As a solution, the two-time Super Bowl Champion proposed a cap on how much money school NIL collectives and the deals they facilitate can be to help level the playing field for both his program, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), and at the FCS levels.

Dec 28, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders reacts with an official after a play during the second quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

“There should be some kind of cap,” Sanders continued. “Our game should emulate the NFL game in every aspect. Rules. Regulations. Whatever the NFL rules, the college rules should be the same. There should be a cap, and every team gets this, and you should be able to spend that.”

It is no secret that college football is big business, and a lot of that money is going into the wrong pockets. A cap would certainly even the odds and give schools with fewer big-spending donors a chance.

Now, a proposal is pending approval by a U.S. District Judge that would limit schools to sharing 22 percent of certain revenues. It would be up to the schools to determine who receives the larger share. The idea, hopefully, is to pour that money back into the university on education, the whole point of attending a university in the first place.

But that doesn't limit third-party donors, and the lack of NCAA oversight has been concerning to Sanders.

“There’s a lot going on in college football, and the NCAA has just washed their hands and they walk away,” Sanders continued. “As long as they collect those checks, they walk away instead of saying, 'OK, we’ve got to do something about this.' Because if you don’t, it’s going to keep spiraling.”

Despite the irony, there is little to argue about Sanders' stance on the adversity in the financial gap that some programs (like HBCUs) face. After turning it around, Sanders left the head coaching job at Jackson State (HBCU) for Colorado but took two of his star players with him to Boulder: quarterback Shaduer Sanders and two-way phenom Travis Hunter. Both Hunter and Sanders are expected to be early selections in this year's NFL Draft.

“If we take a kid from an HBCU, we should have to compensate that school, man,” Sanders said. “You’ve taken a kid and not given them nothing for it. That’s not fair, because they can’t compete with you in terms of the solicitation of the kid."

The Buffaloes' head coach, however, seems to be playing by the rules laid out in front of him. He feels a change is undoubtedly needed for college athletics to remain in the hearts of the fans.

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