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Name, Image, and Likeness has completely taken over college athletics as it’s now become legal to pay player for their abilities on the field. It’s brought out both the good and bad in schools, agents, and players.
On one hand, players are finally able to get a slice of the money they bring in annually to their programs. They can maximize their NIL income by ways of media appearances, fan events, and local partnerships.
Unfortunately, it’s failed to stop the shadiness often seen in NCAA sports. Tampering is running rampant as opposing schools reach out to players on opposing rosters in hopes of poaching. Promises of lucrative offers are used to sway players to the transfer portal, which makes roster management all the more difficult for coaches and staffs.
NIL has also led fans to be more critical of players that don’t live up to expectations. With outrageous offers often being signed, death wishes and social media threats are the new norm.
But what happens when schools don’t honor the terms provided in their negotiations? We saw it happen in college football with the Matt Sluka saga at UNLV.
The quarterback benched himself after a 3-0 start in order to preserve his final season of eligibility. He claimed that the program didn’t pay him the money he was promised. One college basketball agent says the same is happening on the court.
Daniel Poneman is one half of Poneman and Naiditch Representation. He has images with hoopers like Mac McClung, Pelle Larsson, and other pro stars across a variety of leagues on his social media outlets. His work also extends into the college level.
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One of his clients, UNCG guard Kenyon Giles, recently entered the portal. He’s sure to have a few others do the same. On Sunday, he seemed unhappy with the current setup at the NCAA level.
Poneman threatened to expose college programs for not paying their players.
Should I release a “schools that still owe players a lot of NIL money they promised and never paid this season, but now are recruiting new players promising even bigger money they likely won’t pay either” list?
— Daniel Poneman (@DanielPoneman) March 16, 2025
The agent teased the idea of listing schools by name. He wouldn’t restrict it to his clients alone, either. He wants justice for all players.
We’ve seen NIL negotiations go awry in the past. Sometimes, as in Sluka’s case, it seems the school didn’t follow through after landing the player’s signature. Sometimes, it’s the player making unreasonable demands, which can lead to dismissal.
Poneman doesn’t believe a number of schools have been forthright with their negotiations and follow-through this cycle. He’s yet to list names publicly, but the threat still remains!
With few guidelines set to keep the spending and tampering in check, the issue will likely only persist. Drastic actions like a public call-out may or may not make an impact.