Arkansas may have a chance to recover buyout money from some of its NIL deals, but according to Paul Finebaum, the Razorbacks could be heading into risky territory.
One major case centers around quarterback Madden Iamaleava, younger brother of Nico Iamaleava. After Nico transferred from Tennessee to UCLA, Madden soon followed, leaving Arkansas to join him in California.
Since then, reports have indicated that Arkansas is seeking to reclaim $200,000 in buyout money from players accused of violating NIL agreements. Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek has publicly backed the school’s efforts.
However, during a Monday appearance on “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning,” Finebaum warned that Arkansas could damage its reputation by going after players legally, even if the school technically has a valid claim:
“A lot of people think Arkansas is justified, and I get that,” Finebaum said. “But when a university starts suing players it recruited and paid, it runs the serious risk of building a bad reputation.”
Ultimately, Finebaum advised Arkansas to drop the matter, suggesting that pursuing legal action would reflect poorly on the program:
“If it were me, I’d let it go. Arkansas can survive without that money. This approach just feels too harsh,” Finebaum said. “Yes, there was an agreement and he received money — that’s fair. But situations like this happen all the time. Do you really want to be the school players fear signing with in case something goes wrong? It’s a bad look, and Arkansas already has enough football issues without making things worse by bringing in heavy hitters like Tom Mars.”
It remains to be seen how Arkansas’s pursuit of NIL repayments might affect its recruiting efforts moving forward.
Leave a Reply