There needs to be an oversight org that is/has checks and balances. The NCAA==the Universities==The NCAA. There are no checks. There are no balances. The fox is running the hen house. Any structure going forward must build in oversight of the colluding/enforcement members.
What Spyre did with Nico is literally the blueprint of how every other collective structured themselves and write contracts. If they enforce against UT/Spyre, they have to attack every other program/collective in the system.
Their claims against Spyre/UT per inducement are apparently factually wrong, and Spyre quotes the contract to prove it. No reason to confess wrongdoing there, IMO.
Their claims that Spyre/jet/Nico was improper recruiting is apparently factually untrue, according to Spyre and Knoxville reporting. No reason to confess wrongdoing there, IMO.
If we were on the wrong side of any current rules, it is morally bankrupt to charge us for what was not illegal at the time. No reason to confess wrongdoing there, IMO.
UT is facing repeat offender status. Why on earth would they roll over and accept it? It'd hammer the program and set it back another 10 years. Just to appease an immoral, totalitarian system that was created to horde money and prevent paying the cash cows?
I want to focus on two items:
1) What Spyre/UT knew to be true at that time.
2) Immoral totalitarian organization.
Did Spyre and UT vet everything they did at that time, through a legal team? If as they say, we were the standard bearers to NIL and Collectives, how then does it follow to punish just us - when as you say everyone else follows Spyre? It is a fact that the NCAA has lauded us as prototype for NCAA cooperation. How then, does it follow that said group(s) can be punished; again? My point is that UTK is singled out. It is being harassed, doubly because a struggling entity with too broad a paint brush feels slighted, feels irrelevant, and is too proud to admit its wrong doing, and complete and total failure, period. End of story:
2- That broad paint brush, with its venerable leader have too long sat on a throne like a King, giving his opinion with too many rules or structure.
And absolutely helter skelter enforcement. How can you be a well funded, respected organization who defines itself as in support of student athletes, and supporting their NIL? If you are constantly changing the rules after the fact. That includes punitive measures, to a school that followed the rules at the time it happened!
This is nothing short of gaslighting, or attempt to shift blame in a reverse manner. Tennessee has done everything it can within reason to open dialogue. What else can it do?
Shifting that blame, and scrambling the jets to enforcement are weak measures. It is my hope that a Court will step back and do right thing and support athletes' rights.
NCAA couldve easily looked other way, or, actually said 'TN dont do that again, bc it is wrong NOW.' 'We appreciate you helping to define and stabilize something we failed to help standardize, and now its caused a mess.' 'Consider this slap on the wrist, but if it happens again there will be repercussions.'
There is little logic to any of this. And it is going to be ugly for all CS.
