When Tennessee visits the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday, the Vols won’t just be facing a team with a winning record, they won’t just be facing a rival, and they won’t just be facing a chance to go to the College Football Playoff. They’ll also be facing a partner in the ongoing fight of players against the NCAA.
Nico Iamaleava and Diego Pavia may be locked on a battle on the field, but off the field, they have taken individual routes to beating the NCAA this calendar year. It started last winter, when Iamaleava was at the heart of a lawsuit filed by Tennessee against the NCAA.
Just to refresh your memory, the NCAA attempted to investigate Tennessee for NIL violations. At the time, pay for play was still illegal, as NIL money couldn’t be used to entice recruits to commit to a school. Iamaleava, allegedly making $2 million a year, seemed to be enticed to attend UT.
Although the NCAA was willing to just give UT a slap on the wrist, Danny White and co. weren’t willing to take that lying down. They declared open war on the organization, and the state along with the state of Virginia filed antitrust lawsuits agains them. The sides settled, which turned into a win for the Vols.
Meanwhile, Pavia, who transferred to Vandy from the New Mexico State Aggies, is locked in a lawsuit with the NCAA right now. Just under three weeks ago, reports surfaced that he is suing the NCAA for counting junior college against players’ eligibility and not letting athletes redshirt after four years.
In simplest terms, Pavia is saying the rule has resulted in athletes missing out on NIL dollars. You cansee the argument, as JuCo players aren’t going to have the chance to collect those checks, so using it against a player’s eligibility could certainly hurt their NIL dollars.
That’s a lot murkier in court, but what is clear is that Pavia and Iamaleava both have generated buzz in their own ways. If they get locked in a shootout on Saturday, that could turn into the NCAA’s worst nightmare, but in a broader sense, they are partners even while they fight each other this weekend.
