“There’s no one that’s bigger than the Power T.”
Simple, clear messaging can alter the narrative in any crisis situation. In the case of Nico Iamaleava’s short NIL holdout against the University of Tennessee, these nine words skewed the entire war of public opinion in the favor of the university, coaches, and the team, and not the disgruntled star quarterback. These nine words also may have fundamentally changed how colleges and players go about negotiating contracts in this ever-evolving NIL market.
It seems counterintuitive to say that the University of Tennessee came out on top of this situation, since Iamaleava is now playing for UCLA (albeit for a massive pay cut), and the Tennessee coaches are rebuilding the QBs room through the transfer portal. However, Iamaleava’s designed holdout was engineered to put the university on its heels and in a potentially tricky situation with alumni, the media, and fans. The university could either, 1. try to negotiate; 2. refuse to be held hostage and let the player walk or 3. meet the demands of its star player. Each option provided the university little wiggle room for error. If the university just lets Iamaleava walk, they risk looking cheap and unwilling to win. If the university simply met the demands of Iamaleava, it fully shifts the power to the athletes that they can renegotiate their contracts at any time for any price, thus opening the door for other players to make similar power plays.
When Iamaleava didn’t accept the university’s counteroffer, he began his holdout. Whether Tennessee had a crisis plan in place or had team financial models that showed executives that Iamaleava wasn’t worth the 81% raise he was asking for, the university decided to part ways with him in less than 24 hours.
This is where the situation still could have played very differently for both parties. In Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel’s press conference he said all the diplomatic phrases a leader says when two entities decide to split. “We wish him well..., etc.” However, in the middle of his monologue, Heupel delivered his “There’s no one that’s bigger than the Power T” moment. This became the headline in most press coverage of the event. In fact, it became the rallying cry.
It also showcases the importance of deliberate and iron clad messaging in a crisis situation as the margins for error are and can be extremely razor thin.
Let’s for a moment play out two scenarios, showcasing how Tennessee’s quick decision making and Heupel’s messaging altered the course of this narrative in their favor.
Scenario #1 – Tennessee doesn’t call the press conference to part ways.
The negotiations drag out, leaving time for Iamaleava’s team to plant stories or narratives with the media of being undervalued by the administration. This leverages the fans to voice their displeasure and discontent in the university in not paying their star player to get back on the field.
The silence leaves opportunity for alternative narratives to take hold.
This actually happened very recently to the University of Tennessee in 2017 in its mishandling of the Greg Schiano hire to become the next football coach for the Vols. The leaking of this news resulted in extreme public outcry which led to the university rescinding the offer after making a public statement that they stood by their decision. This series of events, ultimately, resulted in the termination of then GM John Currie a few weeks later.
Scenario #2 – Coach Josh Heupel just gives the generic “wish him well” messaging at the press conference.
Let’s say that Tennessee made the decision to part ways with Iamaleava and called the press conference to announce it. In that press conference, Heupel only gives the media the generic “we wish Nico well in his future endeavors” statement. While the action of separating from Iamaleava shows the university is making a fast decision on not meeting Iamaleava’s demands, the generic messaging leaves plenty of room for interpretation that Iamaleava had more leverage or power over the university. This could potentially lead to false narratives that the university is cheap and/or uncommitted to being competitive and getting back to the College Football Playoff. The room for interpretation allows for Knoxville sports media and its impassioned fanbase to sow seeds of doubt and question the direction of the football team’s leadership.
None of those scenarios happened though. In addition to calling the press conference and clearly and transparently laying out the situation, Heupel lobbed those powerful nine words that dropped on the college football landscape like a nuclear bomb, “There’s no one that’s bigger than the Power T.”
Those nine words painted Iamaleava as out of touch with the market; focused on himself instead of the team at large. Those nine words became the talking point that shifted the fan mentality to turn on Iamaleava and throw their weight and full support behind Coach Heupel, the team and the university for sticking to their principles and putting the team before any one player. Those nine words became the recruiting mantra for the next Tennessee quarterback to be a “team first guy.” Those nine words opened the door for coaches and athletic directors across the country to know that there are very public limits to contract negotiations. Those nine words drew a clear line in the sand that loyalty, a trait missing in this free agent first market, is resurfacing. Those nine words provided a reset for how players are thinking of their position in the market and how they negotiate their situation.
Undoubtedly, this series of events will be a watershed moment for the University of Tennesse and how negotiations around NIL are approached in the future across the college sports landscape. At the end of the day, this event should be a blueprint for players and athletic directors alike in the importance of how clear and decisive messaging in the face of a crisis situation can be the difference between losing the battle and winning the war of public opinion.
