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Troy Aikman Says He’s Done Funding NIL After UCLA Player Left Without Thanks

He calls for top-level guardrails to hold paid athletes accountable to their programs.

Overview

  • Aikman detailed the decision on the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch, saying he wrote a sizable check to a UCLA player who transferred after one year without sending a thank-you.
  • He said college athletes should be able to leave when a coach departs, reflecting his own transfer from Oklahoma to UCLA.
  • He urged leadership to establish clearer NIL standards, stressing accountability for players who accept money to stay with a program.
  • Coverage situated his remarks alongside UCLA’s 3-9 season and another coaching change, with James Madison’s Bob Chesney set to take over after DeShaun Foster’s brief tenure.
  • Aikman’s stance carries influence as ESPN’s Monday Night Football analyst and a former UCLA quarterback who starred for the Bruins from 1986 to 1988.