Texas A&M AD on NIL Criticism: "Why Not Celebrate That?"
The Texas A&M football program made headlines by firing Jimbo Fisher and agreeing to pay him an unworldly buyout. They then hired Duke's Mike Elko, and they have lost multiple players to the transfer portal.
With portal season in full swing and plenty of people debating the impact - whether positive or negative - of NIL, Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork touched on the criticism that the industry has received (h/t Bryan Fischer of Fox Sports).
"Why are we weaponizing the term NIL? Why not celebrate that? Whatever market has been created, our athletes are thriving in that market. Why are we saying this is a bad thing?"
Bjork has a valid point.
NIL was created for the players to benefit, and they have done just that in the two years since the law was passed.
Has it changed the transfer portal? Has it changed the way players view programs? Of course, but that's the way of the world now.
Having a strong NIL collective is a priority for some players, and smaller schools just aren't able to compete with them, at least not yet. Jeff Traylor, the UTSA head coach, knows exactly how tough it is for them to compete in the NIL space.
As for Texas A&M, their NIL collectives are a big reason why they are in the running for some of the top transfers year in and year out, and it was also one of the reasons why the head coach opening was appealing to candidates.
If the money is there, players are more likely to come. As Bjork says, why is it a bad thing?
After all, this is what everybody wanted for a long time - Players to benefit.
