Does Alabama football have what it takes to compete in this new world of NIL money wars?

[Bamabuzzard]

I think the money aspect is SOMEWHAT overstated, it's difficult to know specifically.

Nobody here should be naive. College football programs have been paying players since Day One, okay?
And it never stopped. NOBODY ran a 100% clean program, and even some coaches who tried don't know if Wide Receiver Superstar was getting $100 handshakes from the local banker through a middleman. Remember when Mississippi State was a big deal back in the late 90s? I was told by a fellow service member (originally from Cuba, so no animus towards the Dawgs; he was a Miami fan) that there were churches in StarkVegas - he had seen this with his own two eyes - where the Bulldog players would attend and would be sent back to the narthex to greet fans, er, I mean devout Christians coming out...many of whom shook their hands and handed them bills that nobody ever knew about. Folks, if MISSISSIPPI STATE has that kind of an operation, you know full well richer schools can do it even more cleverly, so long as they're not dumb enough to launder it through the local McDonald's bag lunches. (This led me to observe that the ballplayers were being paid to be good and attend church while church members not paid were expected to be good for nothing. It's a JOKE, folks!).

You are correct about Mississippi St. My late grandfather was an alum of Miss St and "them bulldogs" was his pride and joy. He gave a significant amount of money to the program to be able to eat at the table with Jackie Sherrill during bulldog luncheons. He told me how they would filter money to the players and the recruits they wanted. It was a pretty savvy scheme they had setup. But, as you said, he said the same thing, "EVERYBODY was doing it". He sold cattle to Coach Bryant and one of the funniest things he ever told me about Coach Bryant and Alabama. He said "Do you know why everybody hated Coach Bryant and Alabama?" I said "Because they won?" He said "No! They hated him because he cheated and won while the rest of us cheated and lost." LOL!

 

[Its On A Slab]

You are correct about Mississippi St. My late grandfather was an alum of Miss St and "them bulldogs" was his pride and joy. He gave a significant amount of money to the program to be able to eat at the table with Jackie Sherrill during bulldog luncheons. He told me how they would filter money to the players and the recruits they wanted. It was a pretty savvy scheme they had setup. But, as you said, he said the same thing, "EVERYBODY was doing it". He sold cattle to Coach Bryant and one of the funniest things he ever told me about Coach Bryant and Alabama. He said "Do you know why everybody hated Coach Bryant and Alabama?" I said "Because they won?" He said "No! They hated him because he cheated and won while the rest of us cheated and lost." LOL!

I have always chuckled at fans of SEC schools who would lay accusations on other school's programs as being cheaters. Everybody knew that the bagman culture existed. Players eventually would take to Twitter with $100 bills and new cars when they signed with a school.

 

[cdub55]

I have always chuckled at fans of SEC schools who would lay accusations on other school's programs as being cheaters. Everybody knew that the bagman culture existed. Players eventually would take to Twitter with $100 bills and new cars when they signed with a school.

I was at Baumhower's in Bham one year eating, after watching the Hoover 7-on-7, and I ran into an SEC assistant coach that I knew at the restaurant. I asked him what he was doing in town and he said, "oh I'm on vacation, I just so happen to be staying at the hotel where some of our top recruits are staying for the tournament." We both laughed. This coach has been on numerous staffs around the league and "bag man" has been associated with him at all those stops.

 

[ga tide man #9]

Will the NIL tax break that the state of Alabama instituted make a difference in retaining some of our top players?

 

[4Q Basket Case]

Will the NIL tax break that the state of Alabama instituted make a difference in retaining some of our top players?

No. Every other state that matters will do the same thing.

It just puts Alabama on an equal footing with states that already don't have an income tax -- Florida, Texas and Tennessee to name a few.