College Sports Commission approves reworked NIL deals worth total of $7.5M for 18 Nebraska players

CHICAGO (AP) — The College Sports Commission has approved $7.5 million in restructured name, image and likeness opportunities spread among 18 Nebraska football players after those deals initially were rejected in a decision upheld by an arbitrator two months ago.

Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen, who is attending Big Ten football media days in Chicago, confirmed the approvals to The Associated Press on Thursday. The Athletic first reported the approvals.

The CSC initially had rejected third-party NIL agreements between Nebraska’s multimedia rights (MMR) partner, Playfly, and the players. At issue was whether Nebraska’s MMR partner would be considered an “associated entity” — deals from which are subject to CSC scrutiny.

The arbitrator said the deals lacked what the CSC called a “valid business purpose” because they did not include goods or services offered to the general public for profit. Also, Playfly was found to have violated a rule against “warehousing” NIL rights — i.e., paying for the rights to use for some purpose later instead of employing them right away.

Dannen said the deals were restructured and resubmitted to the CSC. He said full payment to the 18 players would be made after they fulfill responsibilities associated with the deals.

Schools are allowed to pay up to $21.3 million in revenue sharing with athletes in 2026-27. Marketing firms that partner with schools are providing third-party NIL deals that allow schools to exceed the spending cap.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football