Long before college athletes could legally profit from their name, image and likeness, the idea of players receiving money outside the rules was hardly a new subject.
Jay Williams just put his own spin on that history.
Speaking alongside former Nebraska star Ndamukong Suh at Front Office Sports’ Asset Class event, the former Duke basketball star was discussing the reality that NIL existed in some form before it was formally permitted in 2021.
Williams joked that the money came in “black duffel bags.”
Then he took it a step further.
“Sorry, we all participated,” Williams said, adding that Suh was going to claim he didn’t.
Suh immediately pushed back.
“I never participated,” Suh said. “I don’t know what y’all do at Duke, but don’t bring that over here to Nebraska, sir.”
The exchange was clearly presented in a playful context, but it highlights one of the biggest changes in college sports: the difference between what athletes could officially receive then and what athletes can earn now.
Before NIL Was Formalized
NCAA rules historically prohibited athletes from receiving compensation based on their athletic status, while the modern NIL system eventually created a legal avenue for athletes to earn money from endorsements and other commercial opportunities.
Williams’ comments are therefore best understood as his characterization of the pre-NIL environment—not as evidence that every athlete or school participated in illegal payments.
That distinction matters, particularly because Suh specifically denied participating.
Williams also argued that college athletics should continue moving toward a structure that looks more like professional sports.
He said athletes should be able to sign two- or three-year contracts and suggested that transfer fees could become part of the system.
Suh, meanwhile, said NIL is a positive development for college athletes but argued that athletes should have financial structures such as annuities to help them manage money, taxes and other financial responsibilities at a young age.
The Bigger Conversation
The irony of the exchange is that NIL was created in part to bring athlete compensation into a legal and more transparent framework.
Williams’ “black duffel bags” joke points to the culture surrounding college athletics before that framework existed, while Suh’s response shows why broad statements about an entire generation of athletes need to be treated carefully.
Either way, the conversation illustrates how dramatically college sports has changed.
What once had to remain outside the formal rules is now a multibillion-dollar part of the college sports economy.
And Williams’ description of the old days certainly got people’s attention.
