Utah
What a top Utah leader says is ‘messing up’ college athletes’ minds
A top Utah government leader expressed this week how much he dislikes college athletes getting paid for the use of their name, image and likeness, saying NIL is “messing up their mind.”
State Senate President Stuart Adams said during a media availability Tuesday that he’s not a fan of NIL. “And that’s probably an understatement. I really don’t like it.”
The issue arose during an exchange between reporters and the Layton Republican over a bill aiming to regulate NIL in Utah, including a provision to exempt athletes’ NIL agreements from the state’s public records law.
“I’ve heard some of these athletes are talking about whether they ought to buy a Rolls Royce or what they ought to buy. Their focus has gone away from going to school, from getting an education to totally athletics,” Adams said.
“And I think it’s messing up their mind, and I feel strongly about it. I don’t like it. It’s a problem, quite frankly.”
The Senate president said he’s talked to professional athletes who believe NIL is “messing up their focus and their mind” and players shouldn’t get paid until “they’ve proven themselves and actually gone through a collegiate program.”
Asked why college athletes are allowed to get paid if it’s problematic and wrong, Adams said, “Oh man, you have walked into something that I am passionate about.
“I wish I could control the federal government. I wish I could control the national media. But we can’t. So we have to compete within what we’re given.”
Proposed Utah NIL law
Adams favors HB202, a bill that would require college athletes to submit any NIL deal over $600 to their university for approval. The school then must provide the athlete written acknowledgment regarding whether the contract conflicts with university policies or state law.
The measure also says NIL contracts and any related correspondence would not be subject to Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act, or GRAMA.
Media outlets in the state oppose exempting NIL agreements from public records laws, contending there is compelling interest in understanding how much money is flowing to college athletes, who is paying them and how universities are monitoring compliance with NCAA eligibility rules.
The Deseret News is currently in litigation with the University of Utah and Utah State, Weber State, Utah Valley and Southern Utah universities over whether NIL contracts are public records.
Adams said if schools have to “disclose those salaries, even though I would love to, and I think it might be good policy,” it would put Utah at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to attracting top athletes.
Asked what he thinks about college athletes becoming university employees, Adams didn’t directly answer the question but said the University of Utah and others are working through that issue.
“I’m not sure what is the best process coming out of it. But I know the current process of the NIL, as you’re giving these athletes astronomical monies, it’s unsustainable from a state perspective, from a budget perspective, that I think is wrong for the athletes themselves,” he said.
“I think it’s way too early and refocuses their mind away from what they ought to be focusing on at college and that’s getting an education along with their athletic activity.”
Dartmouth basketball players could unionize
On Monday, a National Labor Relations Board regional administrator ruled that Dartmouth men’s basketball players should be classified as university employees and can hold an election to form a union.
Dartmouth administrators are appealing the decision.
All 15 players signed a petition in September asking to join Local 560 of the Service Employees International Union, which already represents some other employees at the Ivy League school.
Unionizing would allow the players to negotiate not only over salary but working conditions, including practice hours and travel, ESPN reported.
“Because Dartmouth has the right to control the work performed by the Dartmouth men’s basketball team, and the players perform that work in exchange for compensation, I find that the petitioned-for basketball players are employees within the meaning of the (National Labor Relations) Act,” NLRB regional director Laura Sacks wrote.
The ruling could be a potential first step toward employee status for college athletes. A lawsuit in Pennsylvania is also pending on the issue.
The NCAA, college athletic conferences, school athletic directors and coaches have steadfastly opposed players being deemed university employees. Last year, 28 conferences including the Power Five called for federal NIL legislation, including clearly establishing that college athletes are not employees.
The original Utah NIL bill made clear that college athletes are not employees of their schools. It was removed in the current version.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz missed out on the NBA Playoffs, but still scored a big win thanks to a coin flip.
In Monday’s tiebreaker coin flip to determine who had the fourth-worst record in the league last season, the Jazz came out winners over the Sacramento Kings, who had the same 22-60 record.
Had the Jazz lost the coin flip, they would have been fifth in NBA Draft Lottery odds. Only the worst four teams are guaranteed to remain within the top eight of the lottery.
If Utah had fallen to fifth, there would have been the chance they could have dropped out of the top 8 teams in the lottery, and owed the draft pick to Oklahoma City, which was top-8 protected in a previous trade.
The Jazz now have an 11.5 percent chance to win the first overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 10.
The Utah Jazz are rolling into a big offseason before they into what’s projected to be a wildly different-looking 2026-27 campaign from what they had just seen this past 22-win season.
But before that season is able to get underway, the Jazz have some priorities to address in the offseason––both in terms of constructing their roster and retaining a few key pieces from last year’s group into next year.
That makes their salary cap situation and everything around it important to be aware of in the next few months. So with that in mind, we’ve put together an offseason cap tracker for a glimpse of what the Jazz are dealing with in terms of cap space, contracts, and any of their own free agents hitting the open market.
Let’s break it down:
Maximum Possible Cap Space: $24.7M
The Jazz are currently projected at just under $25 million in cap headed into the summer. That’s without any additional moves made to the roster from how they’re entering the offseason, and without factoring in any free agents’ pending cap holds.
That number is bound to get smaller once the Jazz hash out their contract situation for Walker Kessler, but it could also see an uptick if Utah were to shed salary with some of their non-guaranteed deals, or any other player they wanted to pivot from.
As of now, it allows the Jazz to make a couple of moves around the edges in free agency, but the main focus will lean on signing Kessler to a long-term deal.
Contracts
A glimpse of the Jazz’s contract values for the 2026-27 season, and when they’re slated to hit free agency from their current deals:
– Jaren Jackson Jr.: $49.0M, ’29 PO
– Lauri Markkanen: $46.1M, ’29 UFA
– Ace Bailey: $9.5M, ’29 RFA
– Keyonte George: $6.5M, ’27 RFA
– John Konchar: $6.1M, ’27 UFA
– Cody Williams: $6.0M, ’28 RFA
– Brice Sensabaugh, $4.8M, ’27 RFA
– Svi Mykhailiuk: $3.8M*, ’28 UFA
– Kyle Filipowski: $3.0M, ’28 RFA
– Isaiah Collier: $2.7M, ’28 RFA
– Hayden Gray: $2.1M*, ’27 RFA
– Bez Mbeng: $2.1M*, ’27 RFA
– Blake Hinson (two-way), ’27 RFA
Total: $142.1M
*- non-guaranteed
The biggest chunk of the Jazz’s salary leans on their top two veterans, Markkanen and Jackson Jr., each making a combined $95 million next season alone.
However, the rest of the roster isn’t taking up much money. No one else will be making more than $10 million, and their payroll is a little less than $150 million in total.
Another noteworthy fact: the Jazz’s key roster pieces outside of George and Sensabaugh are all under contract through the next two seasons.
Both of the aforementioned names are also bound to see extension discussions take place this summer, which might lock in their future for even longer.
Free Agents
A look at who from this season’s roster is set to hit the free agent market in July:
– Kevin Love (UFA)
– Jusuf Nurkic (UFA)
– Walker Kessler (RFA)
– Oscar Tshiebwe (two-way)
– Elijah Harkless (two-way)
The biggest name of note is, of course, the Jazz’s restricted free agent big man, Walker Kessler, who Utah is bound to hand a big payday, but it remains to be seen how much that contract––or offer sheet from another team––will be.
Jusuf Nurkic and Kevin Love have also expressed their desire to return to the roster as they hit free agency. Re-signing both likely wouldn’t cost much for the Jazz financially, but instead relies on a question of whether the roster space is readily available to keep both.
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Utah
Golden Knights vs. Mammoth Game 1 prediction: NHL odds, picks, best bets for Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Utah Mammoth is going to be a trendy underdog pick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Not only does Utah have the novelty of this being its first-ever appearance in the postseason going for it, but the Mammoth tick plenty of other boxes that punters look for in a dark horse. They’re fast, dynamic, and create plenty of quality scoring chances.
The only problem is that they are running into the Vegas Golden Knights, arguably the best defensive team in the Western Conference, in Round 1.
Vegas is a -170 favorite to win the series, and it is -152 to win Game 1 on Sunday night.
Mammoth vs. Golden Knights odds, prediction
The Golden Knights had a weird season. Vegas started hot, took its foot off the pedal, and struggled to regain its form down the stretch. That led to a surprising coaching switch late in the campaign, but the move paid immediate dividends as John Tortorella led the Knights to a 7-0-1 record in his eight games behind the bench.
It should be noted that Tortorella benefited from an easy schedule since taking over in Vegas, but it’s hard to deny that the team looks sparked with a new voice in their ear.
What’s especially encouraging for Vegas is that its most glaring weakness, the play of goaltender Carter Hart, has started to trend in the right direction at the exact right time.
And Vegas is so good in its own zone that Hart doesn’t need to stand on his head to get the team over the line against Utah. If he’s just average, the Knights will stand a chance, especially since Utah’s goaltending situation is just as much of a question mark.
Betting on the NHL?
Outside of Vejmelka outplaying Hart, the Mammoth will also need to get this series on their terms if they want to pull the upset. Utah grades out as a slightly above-average defensive outfit, but its strength is up front with dynamic playmakers like Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller, plus sharp-shooter Dylan Guenther.
For those stars to have an impact, the Mammoth will need to get Vegas to open up and engage in a back-and-forth style. I just don’t see that happening with a team that was so disciplined in its own zone all season. The Knights led the NHL in expected goals against and high-danger chances conceded at 5-on-5, which shouldn’t be a shocker given the personnel in Sin City.
Not only does Vegas boast a deep blueline, but forwards Mitch Marner and Mark Stone are regarded as two of the best defensive minds in the entire sport.
Perhaps Utah can blitz Vegas and pull the upset, but I’d need a bigger number to go against the experienced, defensively savvy Knights in a best-of-7.
And if you’re looking for a play with more upside, have a good look at Vegas to pull off the sweep at 12/1.
The Play: Vegas moneyline (-152) | Vegas to sweep the series (12/1, FanDuel)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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