The era of “Name, Image and Likeness” in college sports has significantly changed the football landscape and created a new paradigm for athletes moving on to the professional level. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell shared his insights on this evolving dynamic in a recent interview with The Triple Option and shed light on the impact of NIL on the sport as a whole.

“It brings a lot of responsibility at an earlier age, and I think it probably puts a lot of responsibility on colleges to make sure that kids understand that and are prepared for it. It changes the dynamic,” Goodell shared. “The zeros get pretty big, and if you make bad decisions, the impact on a young man and his family is pretty severe, so they need to be prepared for that.”

In Goodell’s eyes, NIL serves as a kind of financial training wheel, giving athletes their first taste of handling significant income before they sign multimillion-dollar NFL contracts. While well-known college stars like Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter of the Colorado Buffaloes already make significant sums, most players aren’t at that level yet. Still, any income earned in college is more than what players earned in high school and provides a valuable opportunity to learn important financial habits like investing, saving and spending wisely.

With that in mind, Goodell suggested that the NFL’s transition programs designed to help players adjust to the professional environment could be adopted by universities for their athletes. This would make their transition to the NFL easier and better prepare them for the demands of professional football. “The more we can help and support colleges to make sure that our transition programs can potentially be applied to them, the more likely it is to be a good thing,” Goodell said. “It’s a big jump from college football to the NFL. This will probably soften it a little bit because it’s one less adjustment, but it’s still big.”

While the era of name, image and likeness has continued to transform college football, it also serves as an important stepping stone for athletes preparing for the financial responsibilities of professional sports. Goodell understands the importance of supporting college athletes through financial education and transition programs, helping them navigate the challenges of managing significant revenue before making the leap to the NFL and their post-league professional lives.