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Jim Boeheim is going viral on social media thank to his recent comments on NIL at Syracuse. The head coach was heard complaining about other schools around the ACC.
Fans around the internet are now weighing in on his remarks, and they seem split on the opinion.
In an interview with Pete Thamel of ESPN, Boeheim spoke about his future with the Syracuse basketball program. He says he’ll “probably” return for the 2023-24 season, but there are obviously things he’s grown frustrated with in the new era of college athletics.
Most notably, Jim Boeheim gave his thoughts on NIL, and a perceived disadvantage he sees with the Orange compared to other programs around the league.
“This is an awful place we’re in in college basketball. Pittsburgh bought a team. OK, fine. My [big donor] talks about it, but he doesn’t give anyone any money. Nothing. Not one guy. Our guys make like $20,000. Wake Forest bought a team. Miami bought a team. … It’s like, ‘Really, this is where we are?’ That’s really where we are, and it’s only going to get worse.
“It’s crazy. That’s why those guys got out — that’s why Jay [Wright] got out, Mike [Krzyzewski] got out. That’s the reason they got out. The transfer portal and everything is nuts. It really is.”
Coach Boeheim accuses a number of ACC rivals of simply buying talent in the transfer portal while claiming his Syracuse players are pinching pennies. He then says that college sports are in an “awful place” and it will soon get worse.
Many on social media have posted reactions to the comments. The fans seem split.
On one hand, NIL wasn’t necessarily intended to create bidding wars for recruits.
One person writes, “He’s not wrong though.” Another stated, “NIL wasn’t created to buy players,” after seeing Jim Boeheim’s commentary.
Others, though, disagree with his opinion. They believe he needs to adapt to the changing landscape.
This fan commented, “We should make the rules of the NCAA with Jim Boeheim’s comfort level at the forefront of our considerations.”
Others insinuated that Boeheim has been paying players under the table for some time. Now, he’s just upset that everyone can do it openly.
One follower wrote, “And we are to believe that Carmelo Anthony just desperately wanted to spend his college career in Syracuse, NY when he could have gone anywhere. Come on.”
Pitt fans are already having fun with the quote, and the fanbase will use it as inspiration for an upcoming matchup.
When Syracuse comes to Pitt in a few weeks: pic.twitter.com/jG9yzqT9J5
— Dan (@DOB20) February 5, 2023
Now, Jim Boeheim’s not the first college coach with these opinions on NIL. Coaches like Dabo Swinney and Nick Saban have voiced opposition to the way things are trending, too.
Unfortunately for them, it doesn’t appear that things are going to be reeled in anytime soon.