Micah Parsons chimes in on Nico Iamaleava NIL mess

Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is never bashful about sharing his opinions. And he has a very strong opinion regarding Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava skipping out on practice due to a dispute over his NIL deal.

"College football a joke now!" Parsons tweeted. "Yall [mights as] well just make college into a semi pro league! Actually hold players accountable to the contracts they sign!"

Reminded that college football has always been a semi-pro league, Parsons objected: "Nah college was never about money! College is bout building character! I am the man I am today because of the brotherhood and the amazing coaches I’ve had during my time at Penn State! We are failing kids now because life isn’t easy and we are allowing them to quit!"

College football might have never been about money for the players (at least not under the rules), but it was always about money for the schools. And the schools created a system that ultimately denied players the ability to get fair compensation for their skills, services, and sacrifices. It was wrong. It was immoral. It was, as a string of better-late-than-never court cases proved, illegal.

Acting under the guise of the NCAA, and promoting the phony-baloney notion of amateurism, the various universities found a way to fix their labor costs at the far-less-than-retail price of an education. Now, college football is experiencing the chaos it has long deserved. And Iamaleava's case is just the latest example of it.

He has no contract with Tennessee. He's not required to play for Tennessee. If he doesn't play for Tennessee, he doesn't get NIL money premised on playing for Tennessee.

As to Parsons, he'll be hearing about his first tweet on the subject if he doesn't get a new deal by the start of training camp and holds out. "Actually hold players accountable to the contracts they sign!" Parsons said. "Fine," many will say. "Honor the contract you signed." (We'll still support him if he holds out; we still think he should have done it last year.)

Regarding Parsons's claim that college football was never about money, he has one simple way to prove it. He can refuse to cash the check he gets for his portion of the multi-billion-dollar House antitrust settlement, which covers college football players who played from 2016 through 2024. (Parsons played for Penn State from 2018 through 2020.)

Again, Parsons is entitled to his opinions. He can express them however he chooses. But the problem with expressing opinions in a public setting, as I've learned over the last 25 years, is obvious.

Anything you say definitely can — and absolutely will — be used against you.