The College Sports Commission launched a tip line Wednesday that allows for anonymous reporting of potential violations of new rules that govern how players are paid for the use of their name, image and likeness.The commission’s CEO, Bryan Seeley, told The Associated Press the reporting line adds an important method of gathering information about the thousands of deals it is overseeing under terms of the $2.8 billion House settlement that reshaped college sports by allowing players to earn money. He said it is something “we’ve always been planning,” and not a reaction to some of the struggles the start-up agency has endured since opening July 1. “One of the foundational aspects of any compliance program is reporting methods,” Seeley said. “And it’s important to have reporting methods that people feel comfortable using, which often involves providing anonymous reporting.”The CSC has contracted with RealResponse, a technology company that works with various colleges, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, NFL Players Association, Major League Baseball and other sports groups. It provides different ways for people to file reports — via text, WhatsApp, web forms and more — and gives the CSC the chance to loop back with whistleblowers while shielding their identity.“Since NIL has become a reality, it has heightened the opportunity for bad behavior and cheating to occur in college athletics,” said David Chadwick, the founder and CEO of RealResponse. “Everyone agrees the rules need to be followed, there needs to be accountability and enforcement. The reality is that for that to happen, there have to be reporting mechanisms in place and there has to be good technology that allows people who want to report anonymously to do so.”Chadwick said the ability to report anonymously is especially important for colleges, where coaches, for decades, felt reluctant to publicly out rivals for cheating lest the rivals retaliate by turning the microscope on them. Created out of the lawsuit settlement, the CSC analyzes information about third-party NIL deals worth $600 or more that are submitted through an app called NIL Go, which was developed by Deloitte. Last month, it said it had approved nearly 6,100 deals worth about $35.4 million. Some school administrators and people running collectives have complained about delays in processing some of the deals. “Review remains slow,” Kansas State c …
