In an East Lansing September dominated by disastrous headlines featuring former Michigan State football head coach Mel Tucker, the Spartan football program could not end its month of woe without yet another report tarnishing an already fragile image.
Late Friday night, news broke that SD4L (Spartan Dawgs 4 Life) — the official NIL collective at MSU — would cancel its deals with football players effective immediately. The update arrived less than 24 hours before Michigan State's kickoff on the road against Iowa in Week 5, as well as just two days after Tucker was officially fired for cause.
Update: There are less than 5 players on the football team who will continue to receive their NIL funding from SD4L.
— Audrey Dahlgren (@AudreyDahlgren) September 30, 2023
Everyone else is on pause until further notice. https://t.co/gzD49tMdYm
According to WLNS’ Audrey Dahlgren, SD4L will now fund NIL deals for fewer than five Michigan State football players while the rest of its deals with football players will go on an indefinite hold. In a statement put up by the collective, SD4L explained that the collective has secured less than 100 subscribers since its founding, which would not offer sustainability given the current landscape.
Together, we will keep moving forward.https://t.co/3eBZJ4cz8K | #SD4L pic.twitter.com/9udGpbe85x
— SD4L (@TheSD4LBrand) September 30, 2023
In the Wild West moment college football finds itself in with NIL legislation, young players dreaming of dollar signs have begun to witness how quickly money can vanish as soon as it arrives in the form of promise. While several cases of individual student-athletes finding themselves preyed upon have taken shape in recent seasons, the situation at MSU perhaps represents the first high-profile athletic department to have its official collective default on recipients in such a fashion.
Fortunately, if you are a Michigan State fan desperate to support your team by any financial means possible, you can still purchase Mel Tucker NFTs and limited edition Tuck Coins through SpartyNFT.com — also offering "access to exclusive experiences with Coach Tucker."
