Miami, Cavinder Twins Subject of First NIL Infractions Ruling
Over the last year, Miami has been a hot name in terms of leaders in the Name Image and Likeness space. Lead by billionaire businessman John Ruiz, his company LifeWallet has provided numerous collegiate athletes with NIL deals.
Friday, Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated broke news that women's basketball transfers Haley and Hanna Cavinder are the center of the NCAA's first NIL infractions ruling.
The Cavinder twins are known for being two of the top NIL earners and faces of collegiate sports. The twins have deals with companies such as Champs Sports, PSD, and so forth -- making them two of the most marketable athletes in the space.
Reports reveal that the Cavinder twins came across violations in their recruiting process, which played a part with women's basketball head coach Katie Meier serving a three-game suspension to start the season. Additionally, a dinner provided by Ruiz was labeled as a "recruiting inducement."
The suspicions of their recruiting process was made aware to the NCAA after Ruiz posted a photo to his Twitter account of the Cavinder twins and parents at his estate while the twins were still in the portal publicly in April.
The penalties are reported to be mild, but is the first case of an NIL infraction ruling since the inception of NIL in 2021. The penalties were as follows according to SI:
- One-year probation, which could result in more severe sanctions if the program violates rules during that time.
- A $5,000 fine plus 1% of the women’s basketball budget.
- A 7% reduction in the number of official visits during the 2022–23 academic year.
- A reduction of nine recruiting days in 2022–23.
- A three-week probation on recruiting communications by staff members starting with the opening of the transfer portal on March 13.
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