Ishbia/UWM Ending MSU NIL Program
Ishbia wants to avoid an "actual or perceived conflict of interest." The details are vague, but he/UWM were giving "up to $700 a month" to "more than 100" MSU athletes across sports. Not sure what percentage of their total NIL dollars this involves, but this certainly cannot help recruiting.
MSU is killing it this offseason …… /s
Something to cheer about!
It's actually sort of true but more in the below sense of "killing it"
It can't be the money. There are only five people on their football team now.
less now that they won’t get getting that sweet $700
$700 a month would have been manna from heaven for me in college.
Hot dogs in Mac N Cheese and Ramen were my almost every day meal. $700 woulda bought a LOT of weiners. NTTAWWT LOL
It was more than the GI Bill paid when I was in school.
I heard the (plausible) tale that the US had barely raised the monthly allowance since the end of WW2.
Would've bought me a car back in '69.
Did buy me a car back in '82! Plus a new windshield. Ran out of cash before I could invest in the fuzzy dice, however.
Your wit and candor are a delight to know and appreciate 😂🤪
P.S. Sipping on a little Weller Full Proof after a busy day at the course 🥃 Thanks 👍
Likewise. Almost at a campground in the Keys. Long drive and will definitely be having drink tonight.
So jealous. Haven't been to the Keys in years. You need a drink after dealing with Route 1.
need a brent mussberger narrative: "you're looking live at the mgohillbilly rig as it cruises down A-1-A on the way to hallowed fishing and camping grounds...."
Don’t have a lot of good things to say about Florida - but the Keys are truly wonderful.
This picture makes me happy. 🎣
Safe travels and have a spectacular time in the Keys. Did you get your new RV?
Not yet. This is the last trip with this one. It'll be sad to see it go. It's been the centerpiece of so many family memories for the last few years. Not a bad way to go out though...
airstream life....
would love to make one of those road-trips if we had a rig of our own. campfires and fishing. see new places.
Looks like paradise!! I'm sure the cabinet is well stocked 🥃. Give our best to your family 😀
Weller Full Proof? Daaang nicely done!
I am truly blessed to enjoy some of the finest brown water made😋🥃
What is your favorite under $300? Stagg jr does it for me.
Hard to pick a favorite but I would say 2017 George T Stagg is at the top of the list. Was gifted a sample so maybe not in your under category. Currently enjoying a EH Taylor Single Barrel that is delicious, also numerous releases of ECBP have been spectacular.
I've never had a Stagg jr. I'm sure it was very good.
I thought B522 was a nice recent release from EC. Probably my favorite over the last 3 years. If the finish lingered just a bit more it might be an all timer to my palate.
Is this the next step in preparing to give their head football coach a raise?
Are we sure that he wasn't keeping all the money ALSO???
Interesting. Is the conflict of interest that:
- His professional basketball teams might want to sign and pay MSU athletes?
- His NIL contributions might encourage MSU athletes to:
- Return to school instead of turning pro and helping other NBA teams?
- Refuse to play for other teams? (h/t TruBluMich)
- Something else?
Perhaps he's reached one of the following conclusions:
1. Good money after bad...
2. Cut your losses
....
3. Mel is a horseshit coach!
3. Mel is a horseshit coach!
...and that came right from the horse's mouth!
or the opposite end.....
There's a difference?
Naturally. I wanted to see if anyone had a good case for one of the non-cynical options because the explanation seems absurd.
I get what you're saying, but I can't think of a plausible non-cynical explanation. "Conflict of interest" is such a vague excuse that it really does feel like he's just trying not to say "this was a waste of money."
Maybe his company's not doing so well as mortgage rates continue to rise. Seriously.
The conflict comes when others take what he is doing now and amplify it. Never underestimate the greed and competitiveness of a billionaire. Billionaires only care about status, because money no longer matters. Imagine a scenario where a top player refuses to play for the team that drafted them because that team didn't take care of them in college. The team owner either ends up with the player on their team, or they don't have to compete against them on another team.
Sure, let's call that 2.b. The Eric Lindros-Eli Manning Memorial Nuclear Option.
3. Something else. Note the vague statement and how they did not respond to follow-up questions. This is spin because he simply does not want to blow a million dollars a year on this anymore. Especially with the company stock down to $5 a share.
CB- Yes, this.
“Conflict of interest” is a way of saying something without saying anything and it makes him look like he’s doing whatever it is for the right reasons. Assume it’s just the opposite in fact.
Unless his business goes bankrupt, I don't think the stock price is going to affect his wealth too much. He made a fortune the moment he took his company public.
Also, the stock is down since the IPO (most SPAC IPOs from the pandemic are down post-IPO), but the stock has rebounded up over 50% year-to-date so I don't think that is the reason.
3. The NBA / other owners didn’t like the idea that he might get an advantage in player recruiting at the pro level. (My theory.)
Supported by the claim that it wasn’t MSU who asked him to stop but someone else. Who else but the NBA? Definitely not the NCAA because that would mean they actually cared about something.
Yep. The NBA doesn’t want one of its owners forming financial relationships with a player before he’s eligible to join the league.
3. He was just using State. His MSU donations were public relations to build goodwill and polish his image to qualify for an NBA team. Once he landed his toy in Phoenix, he is done blowing money in East Landfill.
The initial high is wearing off and he’s realizing he overpaid for Mel, overpaid for the franchise (if that’s even possible), he overpaid in the Durant trade, his company’s value is down and it’s time to tighten the belt.
Here's an argument for Ishbia's conflict of interest:
Let's say he gives a bunch of MSU basketball players big NIL deals with the unwritten hope that they sign as free agents with his Phoenix Suns or to get a leg up on an UDFA from MSU, similar to the influence shoe companies have with high school players. It could also be a way to circumvent the salary cap as well. Let's say LeBron James sent his son or some superstar sent a cousin to play at MSU with a huge NIL deal. The optics would be poor.
An argument against:
I could see why Ishbia would have a conflict of interest with men's and women's basketball. But that would not that would prevent him from continuing the program with all the other sports at MSU.
It doesn't matter how much $$$$$ you have --- if you're supporting a college athletic program, you don't really call the shots.
But that's not so with the Suns!
If I were him, I'd spend 99% of my time and $$$ on the Suns. Seems considerably more fun.