The NCAA opened an investigation into the University of Tennessee, whose accusations center on the recruitment of starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The university issued a statement after denying the allegations and maintaining the athletic department’s stance that they believe no one at the school broke any laws regarding NIL.
Knoxville, Tennessee-based Spyre Sports sponsors the Vol Club, Tennessee’s NIL team. Spyre Sports attorney Tom Mars released a statement Tuesday night explaining the situation from their perspective. In early 2022, Spyre Sports, independently of the University of Tennessee or others associated with its athletics program, entered into a mutually beneficial agreement with Nico Iamaleava that included a limited assignment of his NIL rights regardless of which school he chose. Such “agency agreements andquot;
became more common all the time. The parties agree that their rights and obligations under these agreements will be governed by California law, which permits prospective collegiate athletes to enter into such agreements. The business credibility of the arrangement between Spyre and Nico was shown by the claim that Spyre expected Nico to eventually make an NFL team. The agreement also expressly recognized restrictions prohibiting the use of any school or team logo or insignia.andquot; Under the agreement, Spyre protects the value of Nico
‘s NIL rights and#039; and specifically states that nothing in the agreement will in any way induce SPORTLAST to enroll in school and/or join a sports team. andquot; In short, the contract was in full compliance with the NCAA’s then-NIL andquot;guidelines andquot; and had nothing to do with Nice being hired by the University of Tennessee or any other school. Spyre Sports and Vol Club currently represent over 100 collegiate athletes and are proud to help them maximize the value of their legally protected name, reputation and likeness.andquot; – Spyre Sports Advocate.
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