Fleck is fired up on KFAN

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stocker08 said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again......win/loss record is one thing......but style of play doesn't benefit us either. People in my circle know how invested I am in Gophers football. As casual fans....what I constantly hear from them is "boring". The Gophers are boring. And that is something that I'm sure hurts with NIL as well. As much as I hate to admit it.....going 7-5 while scoring in the 30s through the air is going to get more people on board than the 7-5 team that scores 17 with their longest play being a 15 yard slant. It's not exciting and it's not grabbing the attention of casual fans.

When Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington come on board......the divisions are gone......and the Gophers start seeing tougher schedules.....PJ is going to have to do something drastic. Fighting for bowl eligibility year in and year out while being one of the most boring teams in the FBS isn't going to get sponsors on board.
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This is true of a lot of the B1G in general. It's a more plodding style. Watching a Minnesota or Iowa or Wisconsin or Nebraska game is not as entertaining to the average fan as some Big XII game where there's no defense.

Or that LSU-Ole Miss 55-49 game last weekend. That was great fun and I don't like either team.
 

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Full Speed Ahead said:
Here's one - everyone at Utah gets a new truck :drink:

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If this was from a collective seems like a misallocation of resources in terms of targeting high impact players but the Utah fanbase is pretty rabid and they’ve had great success. Maybe they think this is a great idea.

Given the approximate numbers, MSRP of a Dodge Ram 1500, possibly favorable lease terms with some inherent marketing benefit to Dodge and their dealer network, and 85 units this works out to a pretty sizable yearly nut. Being a cynical SOB my immediate thought is the possibility of double dealing. Pots of money draws interest like flies to ****. “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”
 



Still, what would the total dollar value of that deal be? $500/mo * 6mo * 85 ?? So around quarter mil, if the 500 is close?

Also — how tacky that every single player is driving the exact same vehicle? And a basic pickup truck at that?

Some guys like cars. Some probably didn’t even want a car and preferred a moped or motorbike. Etc.


It would’ve made a lot more sense if a local dealership, particularly one with multiple brands under their umbrella (think like a Morrie’s here) told the team “anyone on full scholarship, come on down and pick out any non-premium vehicle you like, yours to drive for the next six months!”
 

@Pompous Elitist spot on. While I’m sure that Dinkytown Athletes is doing everything to the letter of the rule book, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest at some of the larger dollar collectives around the country if shady crap is happening left and right.

This is completely unregulated. Zero laws. And only vague NCAA “guidelines”.

Athletes don’t actually provide anything for their NIL benefits with these collectives. It’s a no-show job.

All this money sitting around, who’s going to even know if he director skims a few stacks off the top? ETC. Just asking for it.
 




Or, you know, want a pickup truck. Sheesh
 


If it’s not yours, why not drag race it?? Why not take it off some sweet jumps? What are they gonna do, kick a star player off the team?
 







I read the article and it says the insurance is also covered, which is a big thing.

I wonder, do the players have to pay a "gift" tax on this and for some who come from lower income or no other NIL income - that could get pricey for a $60k truck.....I'm not an accountant or attorney, so no idea what the law is.

I know players owe taxes on income earned through NIL, which is fine if they manage it properly. Like if you have $100k coming in, you obviously have money coming in to pay the taxes.

But, if you have no other income and a $60k truck (that doesn't generate income or revenue) plops into your lap, how do you cover tax on it (if they have to pay tax on it)?
 


tjgopher said:
I read the article and it says the insurance is also covered, which is a big thing.

I wonder, do the players have to pay a "gift" tax on this and for some who come from lower income or no other NIL income - that could get pricey for a $60k truck.....I'm not an accountant or attorney, so no idea what the law is.

I know players owe taxes on income earned through NIL, which is fine if they manage it properly. Like if you have $100k coming in, you obviously have money coming in to pay the taxes.

But, if you have no other income and a $60k truck (that doesn't generate income or revenue) plops into your lap, how do you cover tax on it (if they have to pay tax on it)?
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Gift tax, if any is due, is owed and paid by the donor, not the recipient.

If these trucks are NIL payments, they are not gifts, however; they are in the nature of royalty payments in return for acquiring the right to use the players’ names, images and likenesses. Royalty payments are income to, and taxable to, the recipient. However, as a truck lease is worth only about $7,000 to $8,000 per year (edited from original post) l, that income alone wouldn’t be taxed at the federal level because it is far less than the standard deduction for a single person. The players probably have to file returns, reporting the income, but there shouldn’t be any tax at the federal level (unless the player has meaningful income from other sources, as well). Possibly a few dollars tax at the state level; haven’t check Utah law.
 
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If the ~$5k were the only reportable income, sure, it would be below the tax threshold. But surely a lot of these players do/will get (much) more than that in income from the various sources.

All of these full scholarships these days have what is called "FCOA". That was a big deal maybe 5ish years ago? It's basically an extra $5k or so (depends on the school) of straight cash that they get to pocket and do with whatever they want. Spending money, basically, even though the spirit of it is to pay for all of life's extra costs of living that weren't being accounted for in the traditional "full" scholarship.
 

This is the same NCAA that once said you could give players bagels but if you gave them cream cheese or peanut butter to put on it was an NCAA violation. It's laughable.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
Gift tax, if any is due, is owed and paid by the donor, not the recipient.

If these trucks are NIL payments, they are not gifts, however; they are in the nature of royalty payments in return for acquiring the right to use the players’ names, images and likenesses. Royalty payments are income to, and taxable to, the real . However, as a truck lease is worth only about $4800 to $5400 per year, that income alone wouldn’t be taxed at the federal level because it is far less than the standard deduction for a single person. The players probably have to file returns, reporting the income, but there shouldn’t be any tax at the federal level (unless the player has meaningful income from other sources, as well). Possibly a few dollars tax at the state level; haven’t check Utah law.
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Curious where in this market you can lease a full size truck for 4800 per year?
 

gopherbadgerman said:
Curious where in this market you can lease a full size truck for 4800 per year?
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I saw a few cheaper ones in the 400-450 range per month, … but I didn’t check to see if that was because of a required down payment to buy down the lease monthly payment. Maybe $600/month is more realistic number? That would be $7200/year, still way be low the standard deduction for a single person.
 

So, bottom line: if a player who is unmarried gets a free truck lease and some other NIL income, which sums to more than the standard federal deduction (about $13,000), a federal tax return must be filed and taxes paid, ideally in estimated quarterly installments. Results would vary strategy by state, but for Minnesota NIL payments, state taxes would also have to be paid. Hope all these naive kids are getting good advice and resources.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
So, bottom line: if a player who is unmarried gets a free truck lease and some other NIL income, which sums to more than the standard federal deduction (about $13,000), a federal tax return must be filed and taxes paid, ideally in estimated quarterly installments. Results would vary strategy by state, but for Minnesota NIL payments, state taxes would also have to be paid. Hope all these naive kids are getting good advice and resources.
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It is a concern, but lots of students have jobs and don't have the benefit of an athletic department full of resources making sure that they know that they might need to pay taxes. For the vast majority of student-athletes, there isn't going to be that much income. For those making $50,000+, they can afford a little tax help.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
So, bottom line: if a player who is unmarried gets a free truck lease and some other NIL income, which sums to more than the standard federal deduction (about $13,000), a federal tax return must be filed and taxes paid, ideally in estimated quarterly installments. Results would vary strategy by state, but for Minnesota NIL payments, state taxes would also have to be paid. Hope all these naive kids are getting good advice and resources.
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I’d guess maybe, but I’d also guess when April 15 rolls around unless the staff or parents or legal representation (hopefully not uncle Rico) are looking over their shoulder it’ll be ”huh?. Probably more than a few will receive notice from the IRS…
 

2nd Degree Gopher said:
It is a concern, but lots of students have jobs and don't have the benefit of an athletic department full of resources making sure that they know that they might need to pay taxes. For the vast majority of student-athletes, there isn't going to be that much income. For those making $50,000+, they can afford a little tax help.
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Non-student athletes will overwhelmingly be W2 employees and subject to payroll withholding. Certainly they might be under withholding if they tinker with their withholding butI would guess must would get a return. But getting a W2 is typically a safe harbor against under payment.

Student athletes getting NIL benefits would likely be 1099 taxpayers and required to make quarterly estimated payments, the failure to do so or failing to make payments within 90 percent of actual due can result in imposition of prenalty and interest.
 

swede2 said:
Non-student athletes will overwhelmingly be W2 employees and subject to payroll withholding. Certainly they might be under withholding if they tinker with their withholding butI would guess must would get a return. But getting a W2 is typically a safe harbor against under payment.

Student athletes getting NIL benefits would likely be 1099 taxpayers and required to make quarterly estimated payments, the failure to do so or failing to make payments within 90 percent of actual due can result in imposition of prenalty and interest.
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Oh sure, their taxes will be more complicated than the typical student with a W2 job. The also have a whole network of support personnel to hold their hands through the process that the regular student doesn't have access to and, I'd guess, no shortage of tax professionals making themselves available to those who are actually making significant money. It's not like they are being forced to fend for themselves.
 

PJ was fired up again on his radio show about the state of College Football. I caught the end of it (First 30 minutes), and Darrell Thompson was part of the show with JG. Talking about you players, inexperience, injuries and other items.

Very complimentary to Iowa and talked about how they are a team and how the offense, special teams, and defense all work together. How their offense will pass more some games, and run more in others. They run a lot of 3 TE formations and if one guy makes a mistake the RB's will go 80 yards.
 


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