CFB insider details how the government can help the NIL-transfer portal chaos amid Nico Iamaleava debacle

Nico Iamaleava made headlines after reports revealed he wanted to double his $2 million NIL deal with the Tennessee Volunteers. He held out at spring practice, which led the Josh Heupel-led team to part ways with the 20-year-old signal caller.

In today’s episode of "That SEC Football Podcast," college football insider Patrick Smith explained how the government could intervene to fix the current NIL and transfer portal scenarios.

"So basically he's given a middle finger to the NCAA, and there's no one that is going to be able to stop any school or any kid of doing anything. So I think that's why it was so important for Josh Heupel and Tennessee to do what they did. So, to answer your question with a long answer, I think the government is going to have to step in. They're going to have to put up some form of guard rails. They're going to have to have some form of collective bargaining.” [4:10]

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The insider says if no one steps in, college players will keep leaving their teams freely, even after signing NIL deals, unless rules are set. Pro leagues like the NFL, MLB and NBA have such regulations, and college football must follow to ensure fairness.

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Cam Newton breaks silence on Nico Iamaleava NIL debacle

Cam Newton, the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner and former Auburn quarterback, doesn’t blame Nico Iamaleava fully. On Wednesday, Newton shared his views on his YouTube podcast, "4th & 1 with Cam Newton."

"This is a perfect case of 'good advice saves, bad advice kills. Good advice will save your life. Bad advice will kill you. Whoever gave him the advice to sit out killed that kid. Whoever told his father, whoever told him, or gave him the inkling of, 'We need more money.' Yeah, you would think it's about money. This has everything to do with advice." Newton said. [4:23]

Newton further added that no matter how Iamaleava recovers from this situation, people will always remember it. He explained that certain moments stick with a player’s career. For Iamaleava, this transfer and money issue might leave a mark on his reputation, which Cam finds unfortunate.

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