Eric Dickerson knows irony of talking NIL at his alma mater since SMU got so-called 'death penalty'

Updated Dec. 3, 2024 8:35 p.m. ET

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DALLAS (AP) — Eric Dickerson certainly understood the irony of being back at his alma mater to be part of a panel discussion about NIL money for college athletes.

That was Tuesday at SMU, the only school to ever get the so-called NCAA death penalty for a pay-for-play scandal during the Mustangs' best seasons before their debut in the Atlantic Coast Conference this year.

“I’ve always thought athletes should be paid, I really have,” Dickerson said Tuesday.

“Am I glad to be here talking about? Yes, because I’ve always felt that it was unfair for athletes to play a sport and not get anything," he said. "Kids got suspended for taking tennis shoes, taking a meal, taking a girl out to dinner because somebody gave them $50. I just thought it was wrong. The NCAA, they can make millions and billions and it was cool. And I'm not a fan of the NCAA. I hate them."

Dickerson joined Tyler Jaynes, CEO and founder of NIL solution company Influxer, and SMU safety and captain Jonathan McGill to discuss NIL and how schools and student-athletes are navigating the changing landscape of college athletics.

Dickerson, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, again acknowledged that he got $500 a month — sometimes $1,000 — while playing for the Mustangs more than four decades ago. He sent some, and sometimes all, of the money home to his great aunt who raised him and adopted him.

“You want to call it NIL deal when I was at SMU ... that's what it was," he said. "It really was nothing. If you think I played hard for $500 a month, no, I did not. I played because I loved the sport.”

Dickerson ran for 4,450 yards and 47 touchdowns at SMU from 1979-82, and the Mustangs went 21-1-1 over his final two seasons — 11-0-1 as a senior.

That was back in the days of the old Southwest Conference, when there were plenty of schools getting in trouble for recruiting violations.

It wasn't until 1987 that SMU got the ultimate penalty from the NCAA after being a repeat offender. The Mustangs program was shut down that season and didn't return until 1989.

Under current NCAA rules, college athletes can earn revenue from their name, image and likeness.

Asked what he could have made if that was the case during his days at SMU, Dickerson said, “a lot, lots of money.”

When he's asked if he is bitter or mad, Dickerson instead says he is “so happy” for the current players that are able to make the NIL money.

The eighth-ranked Mustangs (11-1, 8-0 ACC, No. 8 CFP) are in the ACC championship game on Saturday against No. 18 Clemson (9-3, 7-1, No. 17 CFP) in their league debut.

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Jonathan McGill

SMU Mustangs