MEAC Commissioner Against Athlete Employee Model

The discussion surrounding the evolution of college sports has been at the forefront of everyone’s mind in the last several years. The game has completely changed in the 2020s with student-athletes receiving NIL compensation, but the structure surrounding this system is something that is still a work in progress throughout college sports, and with HBCUs as well.

MEAC commissioner Sonja Stills recently had some thoughts about the current lay of the land, and what might work or not work with regards to tweaking the system.

She recently spoke on HBCUNightly during MEAC Football Media Day, and was demonstrative with one opinion about how student-athletes should be classified.

“We cannot have student-athletes as employees. That would be the demise of HBCU athletes as we see it today. We cannot afford to pay student-athletes when we need to focus on infrastructure and facilities,” Stills said.

During my interview with @MEACSports Commissioner Sonja Stills, I was able to ask her about why she felt it was important for the conference to support the now dead SCORE Act + what the MEAC, @theswac @CIAAForLife & @TheSIAC are currently lobbying for & what’s important for the… pic.twitter.com/2pQmgEKimW

— Thin Haired Dea (@DolasPlaybook) July 24, 2026

The comment comes on the heels of student-athletes following the money and transfering or committing to universities who can offer them the highest compensation. With that said, Stills spoke about the financial disadvantage HBCUs face, and the decisions they have to make with budgets that are more limited that other universities around the country.

“Why are we paying student-athletes to drive in a Merceds Benz?” Still openly wondered. “We have to prioritize sustainability.”

Stills also brought up the point that because HBCUs are part of the NCAA, they often have to issue remittances for legal matters they may not be involved with.

“Even thought lawsuits are aimed at the more powerful institutions, because we are part of the NCAA, we still have to pay into settlements,” she said. “That reduces the revenue available to our student-athletes, and we already know HBCUs are historically underfunded.”

Stills has served as MEAC commissioner since 2022, becoming the first woman to lead a Division I HBCU conference. She’s been involved with the conference for over 20 years, previously serving as Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer before she was promoted to commissioner. In that capacity, Stills was heavily involved in improving the conference’s corporate footprint as she developed partnerships with Nike, Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo and many other companies.

Although student-athletes might disagree, Stills wants to see college sports head back in the direction that it was in before NIL was legalized to a certain degree.

“We are here to graduate student-athletes. We are not the developmental league. We’re not semi-pro. It’s amateurism, and that’s the way it needs to stay,” she said.

Strong words here. I don’t disagree either. https://t.co/cVc4ymIbsH

— Big Ten information and news (@Genetics56) July 22, 2026

HBCUs, in addition to all programs across the country, have also been forced to essentially re-recruit commits on an annual basis as players reevaluate their standing with the university or their NIL package to see if the grass is greener elsewhere. This never-ending cycle, as it stands now, puts HBCUs at an additional disadvantage.

Stills would like to see some sort of limitation placed on student-athlete transfers during their college careers.

“We have student-athletes chasing the dollar. We have to calm that down to go back to the old days. If you transfer one time, great. If you transfer a second time, you have to sit out,” Stills stated.