AZ Hoosier

This may be an anomaly. The $6M question is: are the Cooks and Simons (and others) donating to the Woodson Disaster Avoidance Fund, or will they continue to give, regardless of who our coach is? Is this simply an attempt to prop up a failed experiment or is this a sign about the future direction of Indiana basketball NIL?

As much as I (and probably the majority) want the big money slush fund to go away, it never will. Removing it as a legal/acceptable payment source will only force it back under the table by the Kentuckys, Dukes and Kansases, among others.

And it’s just a matter of time until other states’ legislatures follow suit. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any messier…

So, Woodson didn't even dangle the check! What has he done besides tell us that he's doing his job?

No need to be pedantic.

Agree 100%. I doubt Woodson did much more than dangle a Cook or Simons check in front of the kids. He hasn’t shown me much of anything in 3-plus years. Why expect more at this point? FIRE MEDIOCRE MIKE.

Since he’s Woodson’s #1 fan, he’d never say that. [emoji2962]

Why are you quoting me for this response? Not sure what this drivel has to do with what I posted about Woodson winning the off-season with money from a couple of billionaires' wallets... Let's wait until the actual season starts and see what Mediocre Mike is able to conjure up. We won last off-season and it got us all the way to what, 18-13? Second verse, same as the first.

If I was a 7 foot center with NBA aspirations, I would, too. Why would I not want to play for a coach whose entire philosophy and game plan is to feed me in the post? There’s none of that pesky guard play - the guards’ job is to feed the post and let me shine. FIRE MEDIOCRE MIKE.

Almond Hill? [emoji15][emoji23]

Come back after Woodson has coached the full season with his "recruits" and let me know where IU is seeded.

Don't confuse a couple of billionaires' $2M with "muscle". Woodson still has to coach this team (and there are still 3 open scholarships). So far, Woodson has not impressed me with his "work" this off-season - I'd expect the same results from 90% of the regulars on BTB with $6M to spend. We get chastised for posting reality on the pro-Woodson threads... now we got the sunshine pumpers trying to pump in the Fire Woodson thread. FIRE MEDIOCRE MIKE WOODSON TODAY.

Expect nothing less.

But "this" isn't "that". Doing personal appearances or sponsorship deals is one thing. There is nothing about that with the NIL deal where schools are paying players $1M to attend their school and play a sport in exchange for that money. What we now have is professional athletes disguised as amateurs. At least the pro sports leagues have some sort of salary cap in an attempt to bring parity. There is no such "cap" on NIL spending, so it's truly a free-for-all. And if the NCAA (or some other authority) were to implement a cap, it would just return us to the days of under-the-table payments. Sadly, it is what it is and it is completely out of control.

It was a meniscus tear, right? Rehab is typically 4-6 weeks of PT after surgery. To still be on crutches raises a bit of concern.