NIL clearinghouse has rejected $90M in deals

Myron MedcalfJul 8, 2026, 02:30 PM ET

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Covers college basketball

Joined ESPN.com in 2011

Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato

The costs associated with collegiate sports continue to rise, along with the scrutiny on NIL agreements.

The College Sports Commission's clearinghouse has rejected nearly $90 million in NIL deals since its inception a year ago, according to the group's NIL data report released Wednesday.

But NIL Go, which is operated by Deloitte as the assessment arm of all independent NIL deals over $600, has also approved $355 million in NIL agreements since it launched June 11, 2025. A chunk of those deals was addressed recently.

During the 61-day period from May 1 through June 30 this year, the CSC rejected NIL deals worth $34 million and cleared NIL deals worth $113 million, per the report. The average deal the CSC approved during those 61 days was worth $14,792, and the average deal the CSC rejected over the same period was valued at $51,593. Only two deals are in arbitration, per the report.

"The most common reasons for a deal not to clear are (1) the deal is not for a valid business purpose as that term is defined by the settlement and NCAA bylaws, (2) the compensation is not at rates and terms commensurate with similarly situated student-athletes, and/or (3) the deal does not include direction activation of the student-athlete's NIL," a CSC spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN.

In its report, the CSC said it has made a final ruling on nearly 90 NIL deals per day over the last year.

The report follows months of contention with schools and their leadership over proper NIL deals.

Through a January memo sent to athletic directors, the CSC addressed "serious concerns" about some of the NIL deals that had been submitted, especially those that did not appear to have a valid business purpose, held a player's rights in the future and failed to match the standard of fair market value.

"Without prejudging any particular deal, the CSC has serious concerns about some of the deal terms being contemplated and the consequences of those deals for the parties involved," the CSC's memo said then.

At the time, the six-month mark of NIL Go's inception, deals worth $15 million had been rejected and deals worth $127 million had been approved, meaning the CSC has rejected nearly $75 million in NIL proposals and cleared more than $200 million in NIL deals over the last six months alone.

In recent months, schools have sought ways to pay players through revenue share rules -- outside the scope of the CSC -- and separate NIL deals. Kentucky, Ohio State, Utah and other major institutions have reorganized their athletic departments or created separate entities to facilitate school-related NIL opportunities.

The latter have faced the most scrutiny as schools search for loopholes to exceed the rev-share cap of $20.5 million. In May, the CSC won an arbitration case after denying millions of dollars in NIL deals that 18 Nebraska football players had arranged with Playfly Sports, a sponsorship and marketing firm that works with schools and athletes across the country.

"This process shows the system is working as intended: a decision we made was challenged and a neutral arbitrator assessed the facts to inform a final decision," CSC CEO Bryan Seeley said in a statement after the arbitrator's decision.