NIL clearinghouse has rejected $90M in deals - ESPN

The costs associated with collegiate sports continue to rise, along with the scrutiny on NIL agreements.

The College Sports Commission's clearinghouse has rejected nearly $90 million in NIL deals since its inception a year ago, according to the group's NIL data report released Wednesday.

But NIL Go, which is operated by Deloitte as the assessment arm of all independent NIL deals over $600, has also approved $355 million in NIL agreements since it launched June 11, 2025. A chunk of those deals was addressed recently.

During the 61-day period from May 1 through June 30 this year, the CSC rejected NIL deals worth $34 million and cleared NIL deals worth $113 million, per the report. The average deal the CSC approved during those 61 days was worth $14,792, and the average deal the CSC rejected over the same period was valued at $51,593. Only two deals are in arbitration, per the report.

«The most common reasons for a deal not to clear are (1) the deal is not for a valid business purpose as that term is defined by the settlement and NCAA bylaws, (2) the compensation is not at rates and terms commensurate with similarly situated student-athletes, and/or (3) the deal does not include direction activation of the student-athlete's NIL,» a CSC spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN.

In its report, the CSC said it has made a final ruling on nearly 90 NIL deals per day over the last year.

The report follows months of contention with schools and their leadership over proper NIL deals.

Through a January memo sent to athletic directors, the CSC addressed «serious concerns» about some of the NIL deals that had been submitted, especially those that did not appear to have a valid business purpose, held a player's rights in the future and