Indiana State found itself on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament’s bubble.
But when it comes to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), the Sycamores have plenty to play for.
On Thursday, Indiana State star center Robbie Avila — better known as “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” — appeared on The Pat McAfee Show. And after avenging the Sycamores’ snub by beating the “NCAA” in a game of one-on-one, the sophomore big man sat down with McAfee for an interview, with the NFL punter-turned-media mogul pledging $10,000 to each player on Indiana State’s roster if they win the NIT.
Just a few years ago, such a pledge would have been an obvious NCAA violation. But thanks to name, image and likeness (NIL) regulations, McAfee would be able to make such a donation via sponsorships.
“If you guys win the NIT, we’ll give 10 grand to everybody,” McAfee told Avila. “You guys will all get a $10,000 sponsorship from The Pat McAfee Show, in which you just have to put out something on your social media about the program. That is an open deal to the Indiana State Sycamore team. You win the NIT, everybody’s getting 10 grand a post.”
After producer Boston Connor noted that such NIL deals can’t be incentive-based — i.e., they can’t be dependent on ISU winning the tournament — McAfee rearranged his semantics.
“The day after the NIT championship, we will meet again about a potential sponsorship for everybody on your roster,” McAfee said. “OK, that sounds good. We just did it.”
While there has been plenty made about the disaster that the NIL era in college sports has been, this is an example of the practice actually working. Thanks to his unique look and playing style, Avila — also known as “Larry Nerd” or “Steph Blurry” — has brought plenty of attention to the ISU program. And it only makes sense that he be allowed to be compensated as such, with his teammates also getting in the action.
As for McAfee’s pledge, it will be interesting to see how the NCAA views what is essentially a thinly veiled incentive-based agreement. Of course, first the Sycamores — who will face Minnesota in the second-round of the NIT on Sunday — have to hold up their end of the bargain.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.