Grady Kelly exposes a culture of greed at Florida State, claiming massive NIL deals have destroyed player work ethic and fueled the program's recent downward spiral.
For the last five years, name, image and likeness (NIL) has been as prevalent in college football as the forward pass.
Many have voiced their opinions on the paying of players. Former Florida State defensive lineman Grady Kelly appeared on the Carter Code Podcast and voiced his displeasure of the “pay for play” culture that has taken hold at Florida State.
The former Colorado State defender played at Florida State for one season in 2024. During that time, Kelly racked up just 19 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack in 12 games.
At Colorado State, Kelly alluded to the fact that players suited up on Saturdays because they loved football. What a novel concept, a throwback to a seemingly forgotten time when football players played the game and went to class and were the big men on campus, student athletes, with the emphasis on “student.”
But according to Kelly, that is not the case at Florida State. With huge checks, the incentive to work hard and take extra reps or stay late in the film room has been taken away by the stroke of a pen.
The question is, what kind of work ethic can you truly expect when you hand over millions of dollars to a bunch of 18-to-20-year-olds?
Kelly also suggested that coaches at Florida State should be fired. We all know that the buck stops with the head coach. Under Mike Norvell, the Seminoles have posted a dismal 7-17 over the past two seasons, and have been victorious in just three ACC games over that time.
If the Seminoles post another losing season in 2026, the firing of Norvell could take care of itself. NIL has been allowed to take over the game without any sort of real enforceable rules or regulations, lest they fall victim to a lawsuit.
Thanks to that inept organization known as the NCAA, they stick their heads in the sand and pretend nothing is happening. They only show up when they want to rule players ineligible or place a school on probation for other infractions. The sound of silence from that place in Indianapolis on the issue of NIL is deafening.
College football has turned into the wild west. When it comes to NIL or poaching players from other schools outside the transfer window, the NCAA powers seem to always be looking the other way. NIL does not exist on a level playing field, and if there are any fans out there who believe otherwise, then you have not been paying attention.
The blue bloods of college football have the most money and the most resources. College football is a “what have you done for me lately” business, and those power brokers of the gridiron can go out and get any players they want in their annual quest to win a championship. This season, for example, Lane Kiffin and LSU will reportedly run out of the tunnel in week 1 vs. Clemson with a $40 million roster.
Kelly felt compelled to voice his opinion about NIL in a public forum. Was it really because his football sensibilities were offended? Or, did he not get his fair share? Whatever the reason, it is certainly not a topic that the media and the fans did not already know.
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