May 13, 2025 • 10 mins
Jon Wilner of The San Jose Mercury News and Wilner Hotline joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about the NCAA House settlement including how it will impact the Oregon Ducks, the Portland Trailblazers sale, and the Belichick family at North Carolina.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time for our weekly Pac twelve conversation with Senjose,
Mercury News reporter and John Willner, brought to you by
Simply Seattle. Our friends at simply Seattle dot com have
the most amazing collection of all things Seattle Seahawks gear.
UW had some of the largest selection of Sonnics gear
anywhere in the world. Learn more at simply Seattle dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
All right, we are back here, by the way, if
we're going to buy you see it's funny. We launched
this KJR twenty five contest for twenty five percent off
all Mariner gear through the Yankees series tomorrow, and then
the Mariners decided to go out and lose four in
a row. Just completely our fault. It could be their fault.
Blame Jamie, Blame simply Seattle. Terrible timing. I was over
(00:41):
there last week and me and Jacob's like, hey, let's
do a promo for the Blue Jays coming to town,
the Yankees in town.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Buy some Mariner gear.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Okay KJR twenty five right now through tomorrow night for
twenty five percent off anything Mariner related on the website.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Used code KJR twenty five.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Here he is by the way, the Pope of the Pack,
the Big ten Bear, and our friend Johnny Wilner.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
John, how are you man?
Speaker 4 (01:03):
I'm good?
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Thanks?
Speaker 4 (01:04):
How you guys?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
We are swell?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
What's this story you wrote for the San Jose Mercury
News regarding the House settlement and how it could potentially
benefit Oregon?
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Because I don't want to hear any of that crap.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Tell me how Oregon is now even better off today
than they were maybe yesterday.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Well, I didn't want to.
Speaker 5 (01:23):
I don't want to get too much into the weeds
on this House settlement because I don't think fans really care.
But this particular aspect I thought was relevant, especially up
in your neck of the woods, and that is that.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
They are going to create. So we've talked about this.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
There's still gonna be nil even once the schools start
revenue sharing. They are creating a clearing house to make
sure all the NIL deals are on the up and up.
In other words, so you're not paying your quarterback a
million bucks for a single autograph session. Right, There's gonna
be a fair market value you enforcement policy, except publicly
(02:06):
traded companies are exempt from that policy. So Nike could
cut a deal with Oregon's backup left tackle for a
million bucks, and there's no fair market value oversight. So
any school that is closely tied to a publicly traded
(02:27):
company could potentially have an advantage here over all the
deals that are with private companies or boosters or what
have you.
Speaker 6 (02:40):
Not. Why do you think that's the case, John, Why
would they make them exempt?
Speaker 5 (02:45):
My guess is that they feel like there's enough oversight
for a publicly traded company anyhow, through shareholders, through SEC
exchange law, through internal auditing, and so those backstops, say
(03:06):
Nike wanted to do that a million bucks for Oregon's
left tackle because Phil Knight's all excited in theory, Nike's
internal systems would say, we can't do that. It's not
smart use of our money. It's a violation of federal law.
And so that's a backstop. The other backstop is potentially
that the clearing house would see such a red flag
(03:28):
that they would say.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
You know what, that that can't happen.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
We have to move Nike into a separate category in
which there's oversight provided.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Well, John Wilters with us and John, you mentioned Phil
Knight and Nike and how they could potentially take advantage
of this. I mean, I know another way that Phil
Knight and Nike could make Oregon as attractive as possible.
Basically allow the University of Oregon to own an NBA
basketball team by the Blazers and have it be in
the public trust of the Oregon Ducks and the university.
(03:57):
I mean, you think that Phil Knight and Nike gonna
try to get involved and buy the Blazers. I mean,
imagine the number one booster in the country being able
to recruit kids and saying, oh, by the way, I
got ball. I'm not just the biggest freaking booster ever,
but I own an NBA basketball team. You want to
go sit courtside and hang out with me in my
suite or whatever. I mean, you think Phil Knight makes
the play for the Blazers they're they're for sale.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
He might, and there's already a precedent for that.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
Matt Ishbia is a huge Michigan State donor. He was
behind that incredible deal that they gave Mel Tucker like
four years ago, and he's the owner of the Phoenix Suns.
He also is the CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage, which
has got you know, a market cap, it's on the MYSC.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
I think it's I got a market cap.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
In the billions, so there's there is a president for
it in some ways. But I wouldn't be surprised if
if Phil Knight tries to do that.
Speaker 6 (04:51):
No, what's your thoughts on Trump's Commission on NIL and
the role of Nick Saban?
Speaker 5 (04:58):
Well, I think that the Nick Saban thing is maybe
a little bit overblown at this point.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
I'm not one hundred percent sure he's going to be.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
Co chair, and that commission is only going to be
limited in what it can do, right because it cannot
establish laws that supersede state laws. What it could do
is generate some momentum on Capitol Hill for there to
be actual legislation that would help the nc double A.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
And there's two ways that that could happen.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
One is that they provide anti trust protection so all
these lawsuits you go away, right, And the other is
that they could codify the House Settlement so that you
know NIL. There's like forty different NIL laws for fifty states.
It's crazy, but they could potentially provide some help there.
(05:49):
So the NCAA could get a handle on the transfer
portal and NIL and all these other things.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Hey, John Wilners with us John.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Yesterday, Fox announce they're going to air a doubleheader for
the NFL on Saturday, December twentieth. Normally I would not
ask you about the NFL, But the reason why this
is topical is because they will compete directly with two
College Football Playoff opening round games. Does that mean anything
(06:18):
to you that the NFL said, look, we don't even care.
We're gonna put regular season games up against the CFP Playoff.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Yeah, and not just any games. Those are two rivalry games.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
And they did it last year too, the NFL when
when the CFP expanded to twelve and set the date,
you know that Saturday before Christmas as a triple header
day for the opening round.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
The NFL said, you know what, we'd rather do not
do that, And the.
Speaker 5 (06:44):
CFP went ahead and din anyhow, And so the NFL
responded last year with two huge games.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
I think the Chiefs were in one of them, and
the ratings for the CFP games suffered.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
I think the same thing's gonna happen again, the NFL
saying look, this is our The third Saturday December is
an NFL Saturday. The CFP is actually infringing upon NFL
broadcast territory, and the NFL is fighting back, and I
think it's a problem. And now, I don't know if
you guys saw last week, there's movement for the CFP
to expand not to fourteen but to sixteen team, which
(07:18):
means they're gonna have to play probably eight opening round games.
I don't know where they're gonna put them, because the
NFL has got Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of that
weekend already locked up.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
So it's a real issue for the CFP. Wow, John,
do you think Billbilill this thing is Black Friday?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Right?
Speaker 4 (07:36):
There's Black Friday. Yeah, And they're also putting a game on.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
The Friday of the opening weekend of the NFL. There's
a Friday night game, and that infringes on college football.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Every single year we see more and more.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
NFL encroachment on broadcast windows that used to be just
for college football.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
I think it's a huge problem for the sport.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
Will be the odds I'd have to give you to
wager a significant amount of money that Bill Belichick never
coaches a game at North Carolina.
Speaker 5 (08:11):
I think I think there's a very very unlikely I've
seen some discussion about that, and certainly, based on the
events thus far, you could make the case that this
thing is gonna just blow up before September first, there's
no doubt. But I would lean heavily toward him coaching
at least one season. And I think I don't know
(08:34):
about you, guys, but if he wants to get back
in the NFL, the worst thing he could do is
bail on North Carolina in the next three months.
Speaker 6 (08:41):
Yeah, it is there. What's the Steve Belichick role? Is
there a plan in place? Is there something in writing?
Is it just assumed he's going to be the next coach?
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Or is we don't know?
Speaker 4 (08:52):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
To be honest, I probably should know this because it's
a public it's a public contract for UNC's a public school.
I don't know if it is in writing that he
is the coach in waiting, the way say Utah hasn't
been writing for Morgan Scalley to replace Wittingham eventually, I'm
not sure that UNC has actually put it in print.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Would Steve Belichick, though, for you, be the heavy favorite
to replace Bill whenever he leaves, I.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
Mean overwhelming favorite.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
I don't know unless something goes wrong for Bill, and
Steve is basically tied to it. I don't know how
he's not gonna be.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Hey, John, before you go, we're gonna know about the
Seahawks schedule tomorrow at five. We already know about the
Husky schedule, but what we don't know is what Friday
night games they're playing.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
When do we find that out? You know?
Speaker 5 (09:42):
Yeah, so usually the last week in May, and I
think it'll be, you know, the within forty eight hours
after a Memorial Day is my guess is.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
When the Big ten, Big twelve.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Acc SEC will all announce the schedule for the first
three weeks and also all Friday games. The Friday games
are part of that early release because the schools need
to know to make operational plans and fans need to
know to make plans for traveling tickets. So we got
about two weeks and then you should find out. I
(10:16):
would expect the Huskies will have probably two Friday.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
Night games, one home in one road.
Speaker 5 (10:23):
Because the Big Pen and Fox both like that Friday deal,
and the West Coast schools are that's good, you know,
the logistics are good for West Coast schools to have
Friday games.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Yeah, they can play as many Friday games as they want,
as far as I'm concerned.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
We like it, don't you?
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Every week?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
I freaking love it, all right, John, great stuff. We'll
talk in a week man.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
Thanks guys.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
All right, John Wilner. When we come back.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Adam Silver has spoken and he has mentioned us.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
What are we talking about?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Well, we'll explain next on ninety three three KJRF
It's time for our weekly Pac twelve conversation with Senjose,
Mercury News reporter and John Willner, brought to you by
Simply Seattle. Our friends at simply Seattle dot com have
the most amazing collection of all things Seattle Seahawks gear.
UW had some of the largest selection of Sonnics gear
anywhere in the world. Learn more at simply Seattle dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
All right, we are back here, by the way, if
we're going to buy you see it's funny. We launched
this KJR twenty five contest for twenty five percent off
all Mariner gear through the Yankees series tomorrow, and then
the Mariners decided to go out and lose four in
a row. Just completely our fault. It could be their fault.
Blame Jamie, Blame simply Seattle. Terrible timing. I was over
(00:41):
there last week and me and Jacob's like, hey, let's
do a promo for the Blue Jays coming to town,
the Yankees in town.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Buy some Mariner gear.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Okay KJR twenty five right now through tomorrow night for
twenty five percent off anything Mariner related on the website.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Used code KJR twenty five.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Here he is by the way, the Pope of the Pack,
the Big ten Bear, and our friend Johnny Wilner.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
John, how are you man?
Speaker 4 (01:03):
I'm good?
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Thanks?
Speaker 4 (01:04):
How you guys?
Speaker 3 (01:05):
We are swell?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
What's this story you wrote for the San Jose Mercury
News regarding the House settlement and how it could potentially
benefit Oregon?
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Because I don't want to hear any of that crap.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Tell me how Oregon is now even better off today
than they were maybe yesterday.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Well, I didn't want to.
Speaker 5 (01:23):
I don't want to get too much into the weeds
on this House settlement because I don't think fans really care.
But this particular aspect I thought was relevant, especially up
in your neck of the woods, and that is that.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
They are going to create. So we've talked about this.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
There's still gonna be nil even once the schools start
revenue sharing. They are creating a clearing house to make
sure all the NIL deals are on the up and up.
In other words, so you're not paying your quarterback a
million bucks for a single autograph session. Right, There's gonna
be a fair market value you enforcement policy, except publicly
(02:06):
traded companies are exempt from that policy. So Nike could
cut a deal with Oregon's backup left tackle for a
million bucks, and there's no fair market value oversight. So
any school that is closely tied to a publicly traded
(02:27):
company could potentially have an advantage here over all the
deals that are with private companies or boosters or what
have you.
Speaker 6 (02:40):
Not. Why do you think that's the case, John, Why
would they make them exempt?
Speaker 5 (02:45):
My guess is that they feel like there's enough oversight
for a publicly traded company anyhow, through shareholders, through SEC
exchange law, through internal auditing, and so those backstops, say
(03:06):
Nike wanted to do that a million bucks for Oregon's
left tackle because Phil Knight's all excited in theory, Nike's
internal systems would say, we can't do that. It's not
smart use of our money. It's a violation of federal law.
And so that's a backstop. The other backstop is potentially
that the clearing house would see such a red flag
(03:28):
that they would say.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
You know what, that that can't happen.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
We have to move Nike into a separate category in
which there's oversight provided.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Well, John Wilters with us and John, you mentioned Phil
Knight and Nike and how they could potentially take advantage
of this. I mean, I know another way that Phil
Knight and Nike could make Oregon as attractive as possible.
Basically allow the University of Oregon to own an NBA
basketball team by the Blazers and have it be in
the public trust of the Oregon Ducks and the university.
(03:57):
I mean, you think that Phil Knight and Nike gonna
try to get involved and buy the Blazers. I mean,
imagine the number one booster in the country being able
to recruit kids and saying, oh, by the way, I
got ball. I'm not just the biggest freaking booster ever,
but I own an NBA basketball team. You want to
go sit courtside and hang out with me in my
suite or whatever. I mean, you think Phil Knight makes
the play for the Blazers they're they're for sale.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
He might, and there's already a precedent for that.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
Matt Ishbia is a huge Michigan State donor. He was
behind that incredible deal that they gave Mel Tucker like
four years ago, and he's the owner of the Phoenix Suns.
He also is the CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage, which
has got you know, a market cap, it's on the MYSC.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
I think it's I got a market cap.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
In the billions, so there's there is a president for
it in some ways. But I wouldn't be surprised if
if Phil Knight tries to do that.
Speaker 6 (04:51):
No, what's your thoughts on Trump's Commission on NIL and
the role of Nick Saban?
Speaker 5 (04:58):
Well, I think that the Nick Saban thing is maybe
a little bit overblown at this point.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
I'm not one hundred percent sure he's going to be.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
Co chair, and that commission is only going to be
limited in what it can do, right because it cannot
establish laws that supersede state laws. What it could do
is generate some momentum on Capitol Hill for there to
be actual legislation that would help the nc double A.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
And there's two ways that that could happen.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
One is that they provide anti trust protection so all
these lawsuits you go away, right, And the other is
that they could codify the House Settlement so that you
know NIL. There's like forty different NIL laws for fifty states.
It's crazy, but they could potentially provide some help there.
(05:49):
So the NCAA could get a handle on the transfer
portal and NIL and all these other things.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Hey, John Wilners with us John.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Yesterday, Fox announce they're going to air a doubleheader for
the NFL on Saturday, December twentieth. Normally I would not
ask you about the NFL, But the reason why this
is topical is because they will compete directly with two
College Football Playoff opening round games. Does that mean anything
(06:18):
to you that the NFL said, look, we don't even care.
We're gonna put regular season games up against the CFP Playoff.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Yeah, and not just any games. Those are two rivalry games.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
And they did it last year too, the NFL when
when the CFP expanded to twelve and set the date,
you know that Saturday before Christmas as a triple header
day for the opening round.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
The NFL said, you know what, we'd rather do not
do that, And the.
Speaker 5 (06:44):
CFP went ahead and din anyhow, And so the NFL
responded last year with two huge games.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
I think the Chiefs were in one of them, and
the ratings for the CFP games suffered.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
I think the same thing's gonna happen again, the NFL
saying look, this is our The third Saturday December is
an NFL Saturday. The CFP is actually infringing upon NFL
broadcast territory, and the NFL is fighting back, and I
think it's a problem. And now, I don't know if
you guys saw last week, there's movement for the CFP
to expand not to fourteen but to sixteen team, which
(07:18):
means they're gonna have to play probably eight opening round games.
I don't know where they're gonna put them, because the
NFL has got Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of that
weekend already locked up.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
So it's a real issue for the CFP. Wow, John,
do you think Billbilill this thing is Black Friday?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Right?
Speaker 4 (07:36):
There's Black Friday. Yeah, And they're also putting a game on.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
The Friday of the opening weekend of the NFL. There's
a Friday night game, and that infringes on college football.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Every single year we see more and more.
Speaker 5 (07:51):
NFL encroachment on broadcast windows that used to be just
for college football.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
I think it's a huge problem for the sport.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
Will be the odds I'd have to give you to
wager a significant amount of money that Bill Belichick never
coaches a game at North Carolina.
Speaker 5 (08:11):
I think I think there's a very very unlikely I've
seen some discussion about that, and certainly, based on the
events thus far, you could make the case that this
thing is gonna just blow up before September first, there's
no doubt. But I would lean heavily toward him coaching
at least one season. And I think I don't know
(08:34):
about you, guys, but if he wants to get back
in the NFL, the worst thing he could do is
bail on North Carolina in the next three months.
Speaker 6 (08:41):
Yeah, it is there. What's the Steve Belichick role? Is
there a plan in place? Is there something in writing?
Is it just assumed he's going to be the next coach?
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Or is we don't know?
Speaker 4 (08:52):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
To be honest, I probably should know this because it's
a public it's a public contract for UNC's a public school.
I don't know if it is in writing that he
is the coach in waiting, the way say Utah hasn't
been writing for Morgan Scalley to replace Wittingham eventually, I'm
not sure that UNC has actually put it in print.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Would Steve Belichick, though, for you, be the heavy favorite
to replace Bill whenever he leaves, I.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
Mean overwhelming favorite.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
I don't know unless something goes wrong for Bill, and
Steve is basically tied to it. I don't know how
he's not gonna be.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Hey, John, before you go, we're gonna know about the
Seahawks schedule tomorrow at five. We already know about the
Husky schedule, but what we don't know is what Friday
night games they're playing.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
When do we find that out? You know?
Speaker 5 (09:42):
Yeah, so usually the last week in May, and I
think it'll be, you know, the within forty eight hours
after a Memorial Day is my guess is.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
When the Big ten, Big twelve.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Acc SEC will all announce the schedule for the first
three weeks and also all Friday games. The Friday games
are part of that early release because the schools need
to know to make operational plans and fans need to
know to make plans for traveling tickets. So we got
about two weeks and then you should find out. I
(10:16):
would expect the Huskies will have probably two Friday.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
Night games, one home in one road.
Speaker 5 (10:23):
Because the Big Pen and Fox both like that Friday deal,
and the West Coast schools are that's good, you know,
the logistics are good for West Coast schools to have
Friday games.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Yeah, they can play as many Friday games as they want,
as far as I'm concerned.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
We like it, don't you?
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Every week?
Speaker 2 (10:41):
I freaking love it, all right, John, great stuff. We'll
talk in a week man.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
Thanks guys.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
All right, John Wilner. When we come back.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Adam Silver has spoken and he has mentioned us.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
What are we talking about?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Well, we'll explain next on ninety three three KJRF
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