In a time in which we should be getting closer to college athletes making money off their name, image, and likeness (NIL), some folks are still fixated on the wrong things.
According to a new report from The News & Observer, court documents that were filed in the case between Brian Bowen and Adidas — the situation that was at the heart of the FBI’s investigation into college hoops — indicate that Adidas might have broken the Williamson family off a little “something-something” in 2016 and 2017 when he played summer ball for an Adidas-sponsored team.
The total amount turned out to be a whopping $5,474.
Supposedly, the money went to Zion’s step-father, Lee Anderson. But then things get foggy, because Anderson coached Zion’s summer team, meaning that the money could have been for “expenses.” For some reason, Zion has become an easy target to go after in courts as he’s already dealt with cases from his former marketing agent Gina Ford, and has been accused by attorney Michael Avenatti of receiving money from Nike. In some form or fashion, both have “suggested” that between Duke and Nike, Zion and his family were “taken care of.”
Cool.
All these situations are doing are potentially keeping the next Zion Williamson away from the sport. And since the NIL movement hasn’t reached the finish line, while more and more players are looking at other options besides college ball, you would think the NCAA would be trying to make player compensation a priority instead of hindering it as they’ve always done.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Duke’s basketball team brings in somewhere around $35 million annually. And when Zion left Duke in 2019, it’s been estimated that Nike pulled in $39 billion that year.
You tell me who’s getting the short end of the stick.