John Ruiz did not threaten to sue Monday night. That in itself was breaking news. The billionaire University of Miami alumnus who has largely become the face of name, image and likeness extravagance was at peace when the NCAA at least put a stake in the ground by creating an actionable NIL policy.
The likes of Ruiz are under review and may be considered boosters. While he does not run a collective, he does support the university and is paying athletes for NIL sponsorships through LifeWallet and his Cigarette Racing Team. That may be in violation of the NCAA’s new guidelines, which do not allow people with the booster label within sniffing distance of a moldy jock at Good Ol’ State U.
Ruiz does not feel threatened. He sees his enterprise not only above the fray but as a leader in the burgeoning industry.
“To me, it’s business as usual,” he told CBS Sports after learning the details of the NCAA’s long-awaited NIL guidelines. “I was navigating directly with the rules.”
Ruiz added: “The term booster is irrelevant in my view because, if you have a legitimate business, it doesn’t matter if you are a booster or not. The deal is an arms-length transaction.”
The NCAA may disagree.
“NCAA recruiting rules preclude boosters from recruiting and/or providing benefits to prospective student-athletes,” the NCAA Board of Directors outlined in a press release that looked like it had been combed over by lawyers.
In fact, that’s exactly what happened. But the membership wanted Big Brother to say something, even if it was enforcing its own rules 10 months too late.
Whatever the case, a calm settled over the land a bit Monday when the board issued those NIL guidelines. The NCAA was typically reactive, but at least a landscape that had become clouded was able to be cleared a bit.
One coach compared the current situation to a couple of his favorite Paramount shows, “Yellowstone” and “1883.”
“[Men who…
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