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AirborneHokie96
Joined: 10/08/1999
Posts: 18,210
Likes: 40,600
AirborneHokie96
Founder Subscriber

You’re actually right on the core issue ...

....the “simple fix” is school‑issued contracts, and everyone knows it. The only reason it hasn’t happened is because the moment a school signs an athlete to a performance‑based contract, the entire amateurism façade collapses. And that’s the part nobody in university leadership wants to touch. Because once you go down that road, you’re not just “paying players.” You’re triggering: workers’ comp payroll taxes unemployment insurance FLSA wage/hour rules grievance procedures arbitration Title IX compensation parity unionization rights mobility protections Schools want the benefits of employment (control, exclusivity, predictability) without the obligations of employment (rights, protections, legal exposure). That’s why they cling to NIL as a workaround — it lets them funnel money into the system without admitting what the money is actually for. And you’re also right that it wouldn’t be an overnight fix. A real employment model would require: standardized contracts conference‑level bargaining units revenue‑sharing formulas roster rules transfer windows negotiated like free agency enforcement mechanisms that aren’t just “trust us” But the holdup isn’t logistics. It’s fear — fear of the legal and financial consequences of admitting what everyone already knows: college football is a labor market.
Posted: 01/21/2026 at 10:32 AM ET
(In response to this post by reestuart)

Thread Replies (50)

Full Thread →
How does being sued to be the QB for your college impact team camaraderie? **
bigbadbird • 01/20/26 03:01 PM ET
Hope Duke wins this. Contracts need to mean something or one day it will
97Hokie • 01/20/26 10:14 PM ET
It's a simple fix. Contracts with the schools. Nobody wants to do it.
reestuart • 01/21/26 08:56 AM ET
You’re actually right on the core issue ... ◄
AirborneHokie96 • 01/21/26 10:32 AM ET
Wouldn't be surprised if it's already happened to VT, but...
EDGEMAN • 01/21/26 06:19 AM ET
They don’t want him back
Spudnut • 01/20/26 07:02 PM ET
And they should get it! Millions from Miami!
EDGEMAN • 01/21/26 06:20 AM ET
So Duke wants SCUM to buy out his contract?**
RJHokie • 01/20/26 07:05 PM ET
Yep. At a premium.
Spudnut • 01/20/26 07:08 PM ET
If so, that sounds like they want a "transfer free" like soccer clubs
AirborneHokie96 • 01/21/26 08:51 AM ET
That makes sense. **
RJHokie • 01/20/26 07:12 PM ET
This is interesting and I'm glad Duke is pushing back
HokieAl • 01/20/26 03:54 PM ET
If you're interested we had a thread on this where a few of our attorneys
KaHOOnah • 01/21/26 11:28 AM ET
Thanks. That tread actually triggered another thought on future
HokieAl • 01/21/26 11:49 AM ET
i'd like to hear Cabell Massie IV's take on this. i assume his firm
squarerootofone • 01/20/26 06:22 PM ET
Let's ask - @Cabell Massie IV**
TomTurkey • 01/20/26 07:19 PM ET
He hasn't posted on this board since January 2025.**
PhotoHokieNC • 01/20/26 08:24 PM ET
He posted on a board* in August. I presume the notification is universal.
TomTurkey • 01/20/26 09:14 PM ET
If the contract both parties signed in good faith
Hokeedokee • 01/20/26 04:35 PM ET
Contract was for Mensah's NIL rights...it's not "pay for play", right?**
AirborneHokie96 • 01/20/26 04:37 PM ET
Maybe it should be for Pay to Stay. **
GreenvilleVT • 01/20/26 06:22 PM ET
Like Head Coaches and Staff?**
AirborneHokie96 • 01/21/26 08:46 AM ET
I’m on board for vesting comp.
GreenvilleVT • 01/21/26 02:18 PM ET
It's for "pay for play." NIL is total BS.**
EDGEMAN • 01/20/26 05:33 PM ET
I’m no lawyer but this is so simple, to me….Mensah gets income from
Hokeedokee • 01/20/26 04:59 PM ET
"while playing football for Duke". That's pay for play, and not allowed.**
reestuart • 01/20/26 05:39 PM ET
Correct**
AirborneHokie96 • 01/21/26 08:46 AM ET
I said he gets “income from Duke”
Hokeedokee • 01/20/26 05:04 PM ET
In the end, Duke will lose and the player will be in the portal tomorrow
AirborneHokie96 • 01/20/26 04:22 PM ET
Correct. And what do they want? Him to come back?
BoozVT • 01/20/26 05:21 PM ET
Can Mensah deliever his NIL value to Duke playing for Miami?
VTCALS72 • 01/20/26 04:59 PM ET
Yeah I fully expect Duke to lose. I'm just hoping they can help
HokieAl • 01/20/26 04:28 PM ET
NCAA has already lost all of the court cases already because the schools
AirborneHokie96 • 01/20/26 04:36 PM ET
I think that's wrong on the lawsuit having no merit
bigbadbird • 01/20/26 04:00 PM ET
Me too. **
RJHokie • 01/20/26 04:00 PM ET
Players don't romanticize it like fans. It's just business.
marcbvtgm • 01/20/26 03:53 PM ET
I doubt it will be an issue at all if he goes back to Duke. He certainly
reestuart • 01/20/26 04:09 PM ET
Duke is taking one for the team (P4 NCAA football that is)
GCHokieof91 • 01/20/26 03:23 PM ET
Shady is the behavior of Duke
AirborneHokie96 • 01/20/26 04:26 PM ET
Duke isn’t saying NIL is actually “pay for play”
Planner_Hokie • 01/20/26 07:17 PM ET
I agree with you - until you say No obligation part- they are paying
bigbadbird • 01/20/26 06:45 PM ET
But again, it was the schools that rejected the idea of making them
AirborneHokie96 • 01/21/26 08:48 AM ET
Yep. Every difficulty the schools, coaches, etc. complain about has
reestuart • 01/21/26 11:39 AM ET
Yep. Can't blame the players for playing the game that was given to them
AirborneHokie96 • 01/21/26 11:49 AM ET
I agree with this- but the schools still provide it- i say they meet
bigbadbird • 01/21/26 08:58 AM ET
Well, I’m not a lawyer, but I play one on TSL**
GCHokieof91 • 01/20/26 05:37 PM ET
Sometimes lawyers think.......
2hhoop3 • 01/20/26 04:31 PM ET
they can do the middle drill on when they bring him back... kidding
bigbadbird • 01/20/26 04:01 PM ET
“Hamburger”, or “Bull in the ring”, we used to
GCHokieof91 • 01/20/26 05:39 PM ET
Wish they would sue Miami for $100M for meddling!**
EDGEMAN • 01/20/26 03:27 PM ET
NC does have Alienation of Affection laws- usually for a divore- but hey
bigbadbird • 01/20/26 04:04 PM ET