Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / #96: Gill1918 presents Olympian Tanya Hughes “What Every T&F Coach Needs to Know About NIL” Powered by Coach O
Transcript
- 0:00Welcome to the Gill 1918 Project, a podcast series by
- 0:03coaches for coaches, powered by Gill Athletics.
- 0:05Think of it as the Ted Talks of track and field coaching.
- 0:08Short, insightful, and packed with valuable strategies to help
- 0:11you grow as a coach. This episode is part of the
- 0:13Youth and Beginner Series, brought to you by Coach O.
- 0:16In this series, we focus on topics relating to coaching
- 0:19youth athletes, coaching beginner athletes of any age,
- 0:21and supporting brand new coaches as they find their way.
- 0:24With that in mind, let's grow. Welcome to the Guild 1918
- 0:29podcast beginner series powered by Coach O I'm Tonya Hughes,
- 0:34Olympian, four time NCAA champion NIL coach and
- 0:39consultant and mom of two Division One student athletes.
- 0:44Today's episode is for the real MVPS behind the scenes, the
- 0:49parents of student athletes. You are the ones investing,
- 0:54supporting and guiding your kid through the ups and downs of
- 0:58their athletic journey. We're in a new era of college
- 1:02sports, and it's one that's going to require you to move
- 1:06from sideline supporter to strategic advisor, from
- 1:10cheerleader to what I call a parent GM, the general manager
- 1:16of your child's athletic career. This role means you're involved
- 1:20in decisions about scholarships and teams and branding NIL
- 1:25contracts. And now with some of the
- 1:28policies and court settlements that are happening happening,
- 1:31these things are shaping the future of college athletics in a
- 1:35way that you're going to have to really get dialed and tuned
- 1:38into. In today's episode, we'll break
- 1:41down the house versus NCAA settlement, the recent executive
- 1:45order by President Trump, and the steps that you can take now
- 1:49to protect and position your child for success and this fast
- 1:54changing landscape. It starts with a change in
- 1:59mindset. A parent GM isn't just a title,
- 2:04it's a responsibility. Think of a parent GM like the
- 2:09general manager of a professional team.
- 2:12You're not just showing up to games, you're making strategic
- 2:16decisions on recruiting, financial planning, on travel,
- 2:23personal brand development. Your job now includes strategic
- 2:29decision making and helping your child access which schools or
- 2:33programs and even deals aligned with their long term goals.
- 2:38It's about protecting their eligibility and reputation,
- 2:43ensuring that they avoid contracts or situations and
- 2:46deals that can jeopardize their eligibility.
- 2:51You're also helping them build their brand, which means guiding
- 2:56them to define what they stand for that's beyond sports.
- 3:02And lastly, financial stewardship is a must as a
- 3:08parent GM, helping them set up whether it's a new business
- 3:12entity or how they're going to handle taxes if they're doing
- 3:16anything in this new NIL landscape because NIL earnings
- 3:20can't translate into lasting. Well, when it comes to what's
- 3:26recently happened with the house settlement and even the
- 3:29executive order, your role is not optional here.
- 3:34As a peer in GM, it's actually even more essential.
- 3:37And whether or not your kid is engaged in NIL activity or not,
- 3:44these changes will have an impact on them as they look to
- 3:49participate in collegiate athletics and even at the high
- 3:52school level, there's impact. Let's start here.
- 3:58These recent changes are around the house versus the NCAA
- 4:01settlement. So the house versus NCAA
- 4:06settlement is a landmark legal agreement that really changes
- 4:12how college athletics is going to operate and it's starting
- 4:18July 1st of 2025. Here's some things you need to
- 4:22know. There's now an element called
- 4:26revenue sharing, where schools that opt into this agreement and
- 4:31settlement can share up to 22% of revenues that the athletic
- 4:37department receives on a collegiate level.
- 4:40The key parties to this settlement are the power of five
- 4:45conferences. So what we're talking about here
- 4:49is the ACC, the SEC, the Big 10, the Big 12 and the PAC 12.
- 4:58These are the conferences that are Dean power conferences.
- 5:02So if your kid is being recruited or is attending one of
- 5:05these schools, this settlement can have an impact on them
- 5:09because there is now the ability for a revenue share where
- 5:14schools can provide direct payments to their student
- 5:17athletes. And it's 22%, which is about
- 5:21$20.5 million that'll be spread and allocated across a program.
- 5:29Many of the models for the Power 5 conferences have 75% of those
- 5:34dollars going to football, another 15% is going to men's
- 5:41basketball, 5% going to women's basketball and the rest 5%, it's
- 5:49been modeled to go to all the other sports.
- 5:52So one of the things you'll want to understand is if your kid is
- 5:57at one of these Power 5 schools or is going to it's being
- 6:04recruited by one, you'll want to know, hey, does track and field
- 6:07get any allocation of that revenue share?
- 6:13So that's one thing that you'll want to understand, right?
- 6:16The other thing about this settlement is that there are now
- 6:20back payments for over $2.7 billion that's going to be paid
- 6:26to current and former athletes over 10 years.
- 6:30Let's pause here. I've been doing webinars and
- 6:35I'll have parents or even some of the training sessions I've
- 6:40done at camps and the like. I've had parents ask the
- 6:43question, well, my kids in middle school, like, does this
- 6:45even matter? This deal in agreement is for 10
- 6:50years, which means it runs through 2035.
- 6:54And so you'll want to understand once again, whether or not your
- 6:59school, if it's not one of these power 5 schools that's already
- 7:02part of the settlement, you'll want to ask is the the school
- 7:07that is recruiting your kid? Are they opting into the
- 7:10settlement? Because once again, that will
- 7:13set up a different set of rules and compliance areas that'll
- 7:19need to be considered. The third thing about this
- 7:24settlement is there are scholarship changes where there
- 7:28aren't any caps, but an athlete can receive financial aid.
- 7:35But there are roster limits now in effect.
- 7:38And so you'll want to understand, is my kid on the
- 7:43roster? Will they be on the roster?
- 7:45Because there are certain elements that if they are not on
- 7:49the official roster that they will lose access to team events
- 7:53and activities and possibly even access to additional support
- 7:59systems through the athletic department.
- 8:03And lastly, this new settlement has created a whole new college
- 8:08sports Commission and they are going to be monitoring NIL
- 8:12deals, the revenue share and roster management.
- 8:16They've also created 2 systems, 1 is called CAPS and that's
- 8:21where the revenue share system is being monitored with that 22%
- 8:26or $20.5 million in the case of the Power 5.
- 8:31They've also created a system called NIL Go and this system,
- 8:37whether your student athlete is part of this Power 5 conferences
- 8:45or not, or if they've opted into the settlement, the NIL Go
- 8:50system is for student athletes who are going to do NIL
- 8:55activities. If they have a deal that is more
- 8:58than $600.00, it must be registered with NIL Go.
- 9:05And so these are things, right, That the parent GM, that you as
- 9:10parents should be asking questions, right?
- 9:13Is my child's school opting in? How will revenue be allocated?
- 9:18What systems are in place and how will roster limits affect my
- 9:22kids ability to compete and receive benefits?
- 9:27And so that went into effect on July 1st of 2025.
- 9:32Then on July 24th, couple of weeks later, President Trump
- 9:36signed an executive order aimed at protecting college sports,
- 9:40especially non revenue sports. Some of the key things to think
- 9:46about when it comes to this order, it is an order.
- 9:49It's not a law but some of the things that it is trying to
- 9:53address. It's trying to protect
- 9:55opportunities and preserve scholarships and competition
- 9:59opportunities for women's sports and non revenue sports.
- 10:03Often time non revenue is equated with Olympic sports so
- 10:07track and field with is considered a non revenue sport.
- 10:11It is an Olympic sport. The executive order is also
- 10:16attempting to curb pay for play so that third party deals are
- 10:22not improper and that they will have to be fair market valued.
- 10:27NIL deals and endorsements. Another aspect to this order is
- 10:32around safeguarding resources where revenue share the must be
- 10:37implemented in a way to protect non revenue in women's sports
- 10:41from being financially drained. Another aspect to this order is
- 10:48to define athlete status. The Department of Labor and the
- 10:52National Labor Review Board. He's asking that they clarify
- 10:57that student athletes are not professional employees, and that
- 11:01is to try to preserve this college model that still has
- 11:06elements of amateurism. Lastly, the order adds an aspect
- 11:12to federal oversight by the Department of Justice and the
- 11:17Federal Trade Commission, with a focus on acting to protect
- 11:24athletes rights and trying to stabilize college athletics.
- 11:29And the antitrust lawsuits that and legal lawsuits that have
- 11:35been coming at them. So for you as a parent GM, this
- 11:40means, especially for us in track and field, that they may
- 11:47have stronger protections for scholarships and opportunities
- 11:52if this were to become law. And there are a number of bills
- 11:56that are before Congress right now.
- 11:59One that seems to have quite a bit of support is called the
- 12:01SCORE Act. And so stay tuned over the next
- 12:05couple of months to see how this will continue to unfold.
- 12:10But as a parent GM, you need to stay tuned in and understand why
- 12:14this matters. This matters because it can
- 12:18create opportunities because now potential income can come
- 12:23through the revenue share and NIL deals.
- 12:25Potentially there could be expanded scholarships and
- 12:29additional areas for direct payments of student athletes.
- 12:34That can happen as a result now with this settlement, but it can
- 12:38also heighten competition for roster spots, more complex
- 12:44compliance requirements. Once again, you'll have the NIL
- 12:47Go system to now register with, and you're really going to need
- 12:51to have financial literacy and legal protection as you look at
- 12:56the implications of whether it's taxes with the deals or just
- 13:00getting legal advice related to the contractual terms that are
- 13:04now being presented to your student athletes.
- 13:08As a parent GM, your role is to maximize these opportunities
- 13:11while minimizing the risk. And so let's let me give you 8
- 13:19actions that you could take. Number one, get educated.
- 13:23Learn the new rules of NIL, the house settlement and the
- 13:27executive order that's just come out.
- 13:30Two, ask your child's school key questions.
- 13:34Are you opted into the settlement?
- 13:36How will revenue be distribute? What will?
- 13:40What kind of NIL support is available?
- 13:43Third, build a team. Find trusted legal, financial
- 13:47and brand and business advisors to help you ensure that you're
- 13:54managing the team that is surrounding your kids so that
- 13:57they can be their best during if they should engage in NIL
- 14:03activity. 4 Protect eligibility. Review every deal before your
- 14:08child signs it. 5. Plan for taxes.
- 14:12NIN income is taxable and you're going to need to set aside funds
- 14:19and file correctly. Six.
- 14:24Help your kid develop a personal brand that aligns with your
- 14:26values and choose partnerships that align and choose those
- 14:32wisely. Seven Monitor roster status
- 14:37Understand deadlines and implications for staying
- 14:40rostered and questions such as if my kid gets hurt, what might
- 14:44be the impact? So you'll want to monitor
- 14:46monitor roster status and understand its implications. 8
- 14:51Prepare for change. Laws, rules and deals will keep
- 14:55evolving, so you'll want to stay adaptable and in the know and up
- 14:59to date as the parent GM with your kid.
- 15:05To help you navigate all of this, I I've created the NIL
- 15:08Wake Up Call for Parents webinar and in this free 60 minute
- 15:12session I'll walk through how the house settlement and
- 15:16executive order. What are some of those
- 15:18implications? I'll also teach a parent GM
- 15:22framework that can help you develop step by step an NIL game
- 15:26plan to protect and position your athlete.
- 15:29You can go to www.sportspreneurs.com to
- 15:32register or follow me on Instagram at Tanya Hughes 100
- 15:37and click the link in my bio. It's free and it could be the
- 15:41most valuable hour you invest in your child's future parent.
- 15:47GMs, you are trusted to protect and guided by love.
- 15:52You're the real MVPS. This is a moment for you to step
- 15:56into this role with confidence and clarity.
- 16:00Thank you for joining me today on the Gil 1918 Podcast.
- 16:04Share this episode with another parent of a student athlete and
- 16:08let's work together to make sure our kids not only compete, but
- 16:12thrive in sports and in life. Until next time, I'm Tonya
- 16:15Hughes, signing off with strength, strategy and purpose.
- 16:20Hey gang, Mike Cunningham here. Thanks for joining us for this
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