LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Brady Hodges, the punter for the University of Louisville, has announced his decision to opt out of the Sun Bowl, citing failures on the part of the Cardinals’ NIL collective to fulfill financial commitments made to him back in September.

During a game against Washington in El Paso, Texas, Hodges took to social media to reveal that he had not been part of the team since December 10.

In his post, he stated, “I graduated on December 13th and had every intention on being with the team had they held up their end of the deal.” However, he chose not to disclose the specific amount of money owed to him.

Attempts to contact Dan Furman, president of 502Circle, for a comment on the situation have not yielded any responses.

Hodges served as the primary punter and holder for Louisville throughout the past two seasons. In his absence, the punting responsibilities during the Cardinals’ nail-biting 35-34 victory in the Sun Bowl fell to redshirt freshman Carter Schwartz. Schwartz performed admirably, averaging 43.7 yards across six punts, demonstrating impressive accuracy by pinning two kicks at the Washington 3-yard line and another at the 16-yard mark.

The issue of unpaid NIL deals is not limited to Hodges. Matthew Sluka, who was the starting quarterback for UNLV, departed the team after playing just three games in September, also due to an unfulfilled $100,000 NIL agreement. Similarly, Jaden Rashada, a former quarterback recruit from Florida who is now with Georgia, filed a lawsuit against Gators coach Billy Napier for an unpaid NIL deal valued at $13 million. Additionally, multiple players from Tulsa have alleged that they have not received thousands of dollars from NIL commitments made by their previous coach, Kevin Wilson.

This growing trend of disputes over NIL agreements reflects broader concerns about the financial management of college athletes’ sponsorships and compensation, underscoring the complexities introduced by the NIL landscape in college sports.