Patt Narduzzi has made his perspective on name, image and likeness crystal clear. In the past, Pittsburgh’s head football coach has called NIL “legalized cheating,” saying that although it’s a positive thing that student-athletes can now profit …
Patt Narduzzi has made his perspective on name, image and likeness crystal clear.
In the past, Pittsburgh’s head football coach has called NIL “legalized cheating,” saying that although it’s a positive thing that student-athletes can now profit financially off of their name, image and likeness, NIL creates a disparity in college football. He expressed that guidelines need to be implemented before NIL gets out of control and that a cap should be put in place, similar to the NFL.
When rumors began circulating this spring that Biletnikoff winner and former Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison was transferring to Southern Cal on a huge NIL deal, ESPN reported that Narduzzi phoned Trojans coach Lincoln Riley multiple times to voice his displeasure after hearing of Southern Cal as a potential transfer destination for Addison. Pitt officials, according to that ESPN report, suspected that tampering could have occurred.
Narduzzi discussed the topic of NIL again this past week at the 2022 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, and didn’t shy away when asked if he thinks NIL has tampered with the loyalty and fairness for players at the collegiate level.
“I do,” Narduzzi told reporters. “I love the opportunity for our players when you talk name, image, and likeness to make money. I want our players to make as much money. And we talk a lot about branding. I told our guys on our trip down yesterday, this is a big and a great opportunity to brand yourself. Who are you as a person? What do you stand for? Those type of things.
“I think the initial name, image, and likeness was to sell your brand, sell your jersey, to watch No. 5 or No. 7 walk around, No. 77 walk around with their jerseys and sell their jerseys, and the more jerseys you sell, the more money you make. I think that’s where initially it stood with name, image, and likeness. You have heard the story, this is old news. Now it’s become more of a pay for play.”
While Narduzzi doesn’t like the direction things are heading in that regard, he believes the NCAA will take measures to better regulate it in the future.
“Obviously, you can’t like where that’s going,” he said, “but I think the NCAA, somebody will get ahold of it and try to put some constraints and some borders on the whole thing.”
