At Saluja Law, we represent student-athletes navigating the complex landscape of collegiate sports, including the ever-evolving world of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness). That's why we're standing with Charles Barkley—because he said what many in college athletics have been afraid to say out loud: the chaos in college sports today is a direct result of NCAA greed and failure.
For years, the NCAA made billions off student-athletes while denying them even the most basic right to profit from their own name, image, or likeness. While coaches and administrators signed multi-million-dollar contracts, athletes were penalized for accepting a free meal or $20 handshake. This wasn't just unsustainable—it was unjust.
Instead of proactively modernizing its rules or working with lawmakers and athletes to create a fair compensation system, the NCAA clung to its old model until the courts—and public opinion—forced its hand. Even now, its leadership is either absent or ineffective, leaving schools, conferences, and student-athletes scrambling to figure out what's legal, what's ethical, and what comes next.
And who pays the price for that leadership vacuum? The athletes.
They're the ones caught between booster collectives, NIL negotiations, transfer restrictions, and lawsuits over retroactive compensation. They're the ones being called selfish or disloyal—while the very institutions that profited off their labor for decades avoid accountability for the system they created.
Charles Barkley called it like it is: this mess isn't the fault of the players. It's the fault of the NCAA.
Until the NCAA admits its role and takes meaningful steps toward transparency, equity, and real reform, the instability will continue—and the credibility of college sports will keep eroding.
At Saluja Law, we believe student-athletes deserve better. They deserve clarity, fairness, and leadership. And they deserve to know that when they speak truth to power, someone has their back.
We stand with Charles Barkley—and with every athlete who's been failed by a system built to profit off their sacrifice.
📞 Need help with NIL contracts, compliance, or athlete rights? Contact Saluja Law. We fight for fairness on and off the field.
#NCAA #NIL #CharlesBarkley #AthleteRights #CollegeSports #SalujaLaw #FairPlay #StudentAthleteJustice #NCAAReform