College Sports Commission admits $40M-plus error in NIL deal reporting

The College Sports Commission (CSC) acknowledged Friday that it had overstated the value of approved name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals by more than $40 million in figures released just a day earlier.

According to the correction, a clerical reporting mistake in data supplied by Deloitte—developer of the CSC’s NIL Go platform—led to the inflated numbers.

The most striking error: the actual value of cleared deals is $35.42 million, not the $79.8 million originally reported. The higher figure reflected all deals in the system, including those still pending.

Similarly, the number of approved deals was revised to 6,090, down from the previously announced 8,359, which represented the total number of contracts logged to date.

“We take full responsibility for this reporting error,” Deloitte said in a statement. “We have implemented additional safeguards to prevent future mistakes and remain fully confident in the NIL Go platform.”

NIL Go was built as part of the House settlement, which permits schools to pay athletes directly while also allowing them to pursue outside endorsements. The CSC uses the platform to vet outside deals worth $600 or more, ensuring they meet eligibility and compliance standards.

The commission has pledged to release data periodically as part of its transparency efforts. But the misstep underscores the challenge of its mission. The CSC, which launched July 1, has been tasked with reviewing thousands of athlete contracts—while operating with fewer than six full-time employees as of last month.

While most deals are reportedly cleared within a week, the CSC admitted to ongoing frustrations over longer delays in some cases.

“The CSC is working diligently to shorten processing times and regrets the frustration these early delays have caused,” the commission said. “As with any new system of this scale, some initial challenges are inevitable.”

No errors were found in other figures reported Thursday, including 332 deals still awaiting clearance, 75 resubmitted contracts, and 2,003 pending deals—roughly half awaiting additional information and half under review.