Deloitte-Backed College Sports Commission Admits $45M Blunder After Reporting Huge NIL Numbers

The wild world of NIL just got messier with Thursday’s bombshell from College Sports Commission (CSC). The new oversight body, fresh off the House v. NCAA settlement dropped its first NIL report only to reveal it had inflated the numbers by a jaw-dropping $45 million. What was reported as $80 million in cleared deals was really just $35 million. And that’s a clerical error the size of a stadium. 

The error came to light thanks to FOS reporter Amanda Cristovich, who shared a screenshot of The Collective Association’s (TCA) scathing statement on X. “The recent correction of CSC’s NIL data highlights exactly what collectives have been experiencing: a system lacking clarity, accuracy, and speed. With even more deals pending than previously reported, more student-athletes face unacceptable delays and uncertainty in accessing the resources they depend on for basic needs like rent, transportation, and education-related expenses,” the report read. When your oversight body can’t count, athletes pay the price.

The statement further reads, “TCA and its members remain committed to working with the CSC to implement improvements — such as real-time support, transparent deal-tracking, and clear evaluation guidelines—that will restore confidence in the system and ensure timely opportunities for student-athletes. Without meaningful change, we risk undermining the promise of NIL and returning to an inequitable environment that hurts the very athletes these reforms were intended to serve.”

Even Deloitte Consulting, which helped build the NIL Go platform, chimed in with an apology. “Deloitte Consulting regrets providing a report to the CSC this week that inaccurately labeled two data points. We take full responsibility for this reporting error. We have taken additional measures to avoid any future recurrence and are fully confident in the NIL Go platform.” The promised measures to avoid future slip-ups are all well and good, but in the meantime, 8,359 deals have shuffled through the system with only 6,090 cleared leaving millions of dollars in limbo. Here’s an update on the numbers.

What the actual numbers look like

The NIL Go clearinghouse, which Deloitte helped design, has already registered 28,342 athletes and 1,227 institutional users. That’s 32,729 stakeholders all navigating the murky waters of NIL for the first time. Deals have ranged up to $1.6 million, with 332 outright denied. The total value in the system is now $79.8 million. But remember, that includes pending or canceled deals, not just the $35.42 million actually cleared. And no one’s in arbitration yet, though common hang-ups involve deals lacking a valid business purpose or contradictory terms.

CSC CEO Bryan Seeley attempted to put a positive spin on the rocky start. “This initial report shows the new system is working as intended: legitimate NIL deals are being submitted, reviewed and approved through NIL Go,” he said in a statement. “The strong engagement from student-athletes and institutions shows real progress toward the clarity, transparency, and fairness that the House Settlement intended.” In practice, the system is still ironing out kinks. 

After pivoting its NIL collective guidance this summer, CSC has already denied 120 deals, with another 192 under review, highlighting ongoing delays and uncertainty. Bryan Seeley emphasized the rules in July saying, “Pay-for-play will not be permitted, and every NIL deal done with a student-athlete must be a legitimate NIL deal, not pay-for-play in disguise.” With millions on the line and thousands of deals pending, NIL Go has had a bumpy launch. Still, the push for transparency and oversight could gradually smooth the process, even if reporters will be busy counting the zeroes for a while.