Deion Sanders Argues NIL Money Is Causing Problems With Players

Deion Sanders, the head football coach at Jackson State, has issues with the current Name, Image and Likeness rules. Sanders expressed these issues in a recent video he posted to Twitter saying that college are just not equipped to deal with athletes who are getting paid.

Sanders says it's not really NIL, but is actually pay-per-view. He also throws in a comment about how "little boys, we can't compete like that," as if to indicate that NIL puts Jackson State at some kind of disadvantage. This seems silly considering Sanders just flipped Travis Hunter, the top recruit in the nation, from his alma mater back in December. Sanders has denied rumors that Hunter was getting a $1.5 million NIL deal to pick Jackson State. Either way, Hunter picked Jackson State during the NIL era, so the little boys most certainly can compete.

"When you start paying athletes like they're professionals, you get athletes acting like they're professionals. And you don't have staffs large enough and equipped enough to handle a young man with money. Let me go deeper. Handle a young man that's making more money than some of the coaches on staff."

Someone reading between the lines might wonder if Sanders is referring to any athletes in particular, but let's not go there. If Sanders says schools aren't equipped to handle college kids with money you would think he would be the type of coach who could figure that out. He's shown a willingness to think outside the box at Jackson State, going as far as to bring an NBA ex to talk to the team about the dangers of direct messages.

That's why it is so weird to hear Sanders sounding concerned about NIL. He's turned Jackson State from a 4-8 team to an 11-win program in two seasons. The Tigers won their second SWAC title in 25 years in his second season. He's shown no signs of struggling or adapting considering they just landed Hunter.

And on top of all that, Deion Sanders is the guy who sang "don't let money change you."

Another college coach has a problem with NIL? Must be the money.