Grambling Athletic Director Warns of NIL Consequences

Name, image and likeness (NIL) regulations have completely shifted the landscape of college sports. It’s hard to believe that NIL has only been around for a few years, yet the direction and regulation of the single-most transformational rule change in college sports history is still largely unknown.

For decades, college athletes didn’t receive a dime related to their program’s marketing efforts of themselves individually or the team that they played on. While they’ve been able to maximize their earning power since the rule change, it has left universities scrambling for answers and finances to keep up.

HBCU’s find themselves in the same boat, and Grambling Athletic Direction Dr. Trayvean Scott expressed his concerns about where this is headed to the United States Congress in late March.

Scott asked an important question about the role and responsibilities of institutions and government in crafting the right system.

“The question is whether we will shape it with intention, grounded in equity, guided by structure, and anchored in education, or whether we will continue to react as it reshapes the system around us,” Scott said.

Grambling State’s Dr. Trayvean Scott Urges Congress to Protect Opportunity in College Athletics https://t.co/N46ps0U3Ee

— Forever Trill🇳🇬 🇰🇪 🇧🇸 (@mccauley318) March 27, 2026

Scott was joined on the floor by LSU Board Member Collis Temple Jr., former Illinois soccer and track athlete Abby Lynch, and two members of prominent athletic advocacy groups.

Grambling State University hired Trayvean Scott as their athletic director in the summer of 2021. Perhaps ironically, that was also when the NCAA adopted their new NIL policy. Scott’s role as AD has completely overlapped with the new rules, and has seen the evolution, or in some cases, devolvement of the landscape.

“We are operating in a system where competitive balance is no longer a shared expectation,” Dr. Scott told Congress. “The challenge is no longer just winning games but maintaining relevance and sustaining opportunity.”

While Scott spoke about the system prioritizing compensation and benefits as a whole, he also spoke about the risks student-athletes are increasingly exposed to without proper professionals to aid them in their journey.

“Student-athletes are left to navigate agreements that carry real financial and legal consequences,” Scott said.

Scott played collegiate basketball at Southern, where he started for four seasons and left his mark on the team as an opportunistic guard. He spoke about that experience and being able to see the situation from both sides.

“I would not be sitting in this room today without collegiate sports opening the door for me,” Scott professed. “And I want that door to remain open for the next generation.”

The recently concluded NCAA men’s basketball tournament is one way for HBCU’s to earn money based on success. Three HBCU’s made March Madness in 2026, and the NCAA has a rewards system.

The NCAA pays the conference that the school is affiliated with, although remittance comes in installments over a longer period. Based on each conference’s revenue sharing agreement, those installments are then passed along to member schools.

Schools received approximately $2 million for each game played, which is a significant figure for HBCU’s looking to stay as competitive as possible in the new world order of college basketball.

Conferences can earn big from March Madness thanks to the NCAA’s “units” system.

The men’s tournament will pay out over $220 million, while the women’s totals about $20 million.

Here’s how it works ⬇️

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 20, 2026