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Former Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello rails against NIL era: ‘It’s just a mess’

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Former Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello rails against NIL era: ‘It’s just a mess’


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Since the advent of the transfer portal and the rise of name, image and likeness (NIL), there have been countless debates about how to create and adjust a system to establish guardrails when necessary.

As the college sports landscape has adjusted to NIL, the gap between college programs with deep-pocketed boosters and alumni and smaller schools with fewer financial resources has continued to widen. 

Although he was in a position to potentially benefit from those perceived advantages during his time as head coach at Tennessee, Tony Vitello railed against NIL’s shortcomings.

“It’s a disaster,” Vitello told Taylor Lewan and Will Compton during a recent episode of the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast.

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Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello during Game 1 of the NCAA baseball tournament Fayetteville Super Regional against Arkansas at Baum-Walker Stadium June 7, 2025. (Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Vitello coached the Volunteers to the program’s first national championship in 2024. Despite his lack of coaching experience at the MLB level, Vitello was named manager of the San Francisco Giants last month.

As he reflected on his successful tenure at Tennessee, Vitello shared some of his grievances with the current NIL system.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL LEGEND NICK SABAN CLAIMS NIL HAS ‘HURT’ THE SEC WHILE HELPING NORTHERN SCHOOLS

“It’s a disaster,” Vitello told Lewan and Compton. “We all have thoughts that you dream a little bigger. I kind of have this weird fantasy or vision of, OK, can college and MLB merge together a little bit and help each other? I certainly shouldn’t be the patron of either. But I can connect the right people and get this thing where it’s a little more fluid. But the one part MLB can’t affect is where NCAA sports are in general.”

Tony Vitello before a college baseball game

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello warms up his players before Game 1 of the series against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field May 16, 2025, in Fayetteville, Ark.  (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Vitello concluded that NIL has contributed to what he remembers as a chaotic environment.

“It’s just a mess. … It’s like you’re driving in the fog, and you can’t really see but about 100 or 200 feet in front of you. You’re grasping for what’s real, what you can do, what you can’t do. I’m sure someone will throw out that I did something wrong, or I didn’t do this. But, overall, it’s very frustrating when you don’t know the rules to the game.”

Tony Vitello gives an interview

Tony Vitello of the San Francisco Giants gives an interview prior to his introductory press conference as the new manager of the Giants at Oracle Park Oct. 30, 2025, in San Francisco. (Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images)

While walking through the disparity between college baseball programs, Vitello also suggested the NIL era is counterproductive to the push to have schools compete on an even playing field.

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“That’s the whole point of athletics or competition is: Let’s find out who can do it better. But when you really don’t know what the rules of the game are or they’re so lopsided in favor of Tennessee over Middle Tennessee State, it’s kind of hard to have that nose-to-nose competition.”

Vitello replaces Bob Melvin, who departs after two seasons with the Giants. San Francisco has not advanced to the MLB postseason since 2021.

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Transfer rumors, news: Fernandes to urge Man United to sign Portugal teammate

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Transfer rumors, news: Fernandes to urge Man United to sign Portugal teammate


Bruno Fernandes has outlined one player he believes should be among Manchester United‘s midfield targets this summer, while Chelsea will again look to sister club Strasbourg to add to their own squad.

Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.

Transfers home page | Men’s winter grades | Women’s grades

TRENDING RUMORS

Manchester United are in the market for two midfielders this summer and, according to The Sun, Bruno Fernandes will recommend that one of them is West Ham United‘s Mateus Fernandes. United are set to lose Casemiro this summe when his contract expires and have been linked with a number of replacements, including Nottingham Forest‘s Elliot Anderson. Fernandes will urge United to sign his Portugal teammate, with United sporting director Hugo Viana already a strong admirer of the 21-year-old.

Chelsea are in talks to sign Strasbourg midfielder Valentín Barco, as reported by TalkSport. The 21-year-old permanently joined the Ligue 1 club last summer for £8 million having previously played for them on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, and he could now reunite with Liam Rosenior by following his route from Strasbourg to Stamford Bridge. The Argentina international has recorded two goals and nine assists in 28 appearances across all competitions so far this season.

– Manchester United have been closely tracking Bayern Munich winger Maycon Cardozo, according to TEAMtalk. The 17-year-old signed a new contract with Bayern last month and has since made his first-team debut. United are reportedly impressed by his technical ability and, although a move anytime soon would be difficult to complete for due to the recent contract renewal.

Atlético Madrid will soon make their opening offer for Atalanta midfielder Éderson with a proposal worth €35 million plus €3 million in add-ons, as reported by Sky Sports Italia. That falls short of the figure of €50 million that Atalanta expect to receive for the 26-year-old. Éderson has already agreed a four-year contract with Atlético worth €5 million-per-season plus a €2 million signing bonus. Negotiations appear to have begun and Atleti are making aggressive moves to complete a deal.

– Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are among the clubs interested in Blackburn Rovers defender Tom Atcheson, according to TEAMtalk. The 19-year-old has stepped up to the senior level for Blackburn and Northern Ireland under Michael O’Neill, which has also resulted in further Premier League attention from Sunderland, Everton, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion. He is also being looked at by European clubs such as RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta and Napoli.

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN’s resident scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen ranked Mateus Fernandes at No. 33 in his list of the best U21s players in world football. He wrote:

Last season, Fernandes suffered relegation with Southampton despite winning both of the club’s Player of the Season and Fan’s Player of the Season awards, but he had to play only three games in the Championship before making a £40 million move to West Ham. However, somehow he is in much the same predicament this season, as West Ham are in a battle to avoid the drop.

Fernandes is a central midfielder who equally brings defensive and attacking qualities. On one hand, he makes tackles, presses well and regains possession — 158 duels puts him in the 95th percentile among midfielders — while he also has the vision to deliver excellent long passes (61.1% success rate) and pick out deep runs from his teammates.

He generally covers a lot of ground and reads danger superbly, winning a lot of loose balls, while he copes well under pressure and can shift play quickly. That, along with fine dribbling at high speed, makes him equally useful at either end of the pitch. But his three goals this season — including the fastest Premier League goal of the campaign, scored after just 29 seconds against Aston Villa — also suggest he has a knack of arriving in good goal-scoring positions.

See the full list here.

OTHER RUMORS

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Hutchison: Cucurella ‘out of order’ for Chelsea transfer policy criticism

Don Hutchison reacts to Marc Cucurella’s recent comments about Chelsea’s transfer policy.

– Chelsea have a strong interest in Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs but face competition from Liverpool and Manchester City. (Football Insider)

Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants Manchester United to make £100 million from departures with Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford all set to leave. (The Sun)

– Liverpool, Inter Milan, Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur all have Atalanta’s Cagliari loanee Marco Palestra on their radar. (Caught Offside)

– Juventus and Como have both sent scouts to watch Real Valladolid attacking midfielder Chuki in recent weeks. RB Leipzig and Stuttgart have already made moves for the 21-year-old. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)

– Juventus could be willing to let Gleison Bremer leave during the summer transfer window. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)

– Juventus are looking at Genoa for right-back Brooke Norton-Cuffy, striker Jeff Ekhator and center back Leo Skiri Ostigard. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)

– Roma are preparing their strategy to sign Almeria attacking midfielder Sergio Arribas and are interested in Kerim Alajbegovic, whose re-sign clause has been triggered to move him from RB Salzburg to Bayer Leverkusen. (Corriere dello Sport)

– AC Milan and Napoli also want Kerim Alajbegovic, with the former sending scouts to watch him during Bosnia & Herzegovina’s win against Wales. (Corriere dello Sport)

– Paris Saint-Germain Feminines have reached an agreement with Real Madrid striker Naomie Feller. (L’Equipe)

– Several Premier League clubs are monitoring Sassuolo centre-back Tarik Muharemovic. (Nicolo Schira)

Ollie Watkins is growing increasingly likely to leave Aston Villa during the summer transfer window. (Football Insider)



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Paul wins all-American semi | The Express Tribune

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Paul wins all-American semi | The Express Tribune



MIAMI:

No. 4 Tommy Paul rallied for his fourth consecutive win over fellow American and second-seeded Frances Tiafoe, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7), on Saturday in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship semifinals at Houston.
Paul clinched his first ever ATP clay-court final appearance in a grueling 2-hour, 45-minute match that was marred by rain throughout, including a 90-minute ‌delay during the second set. Paul thrived behind 14 aces and no double faults while converting two of five break-point opportunities in the pivotal deciding set.
It was back-and-forth in the final set with Tiafoe notching the first break and Paul breaking him right back in the next service. Then the reverse happened with Paul grabbing a break and Tiafoe nabbing it right back a service game later. In the deciding tiebreaker, Paul squandered two match points up 6-4 before advancing ⁠by winning two straight points to break a 7-7 tie.
In another semifinal between competitors from the same country, Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga easily dispatched Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-1, 6-1 to set up a date with Paul. Burruchaga converted 5 of 8 break opportunities while never facing one. Tirante had 25 unforced errors to Burruchaga’s 10.

Grand Prix Hassan II
Qualifier Marco Trungelliti (ATP No. 117) of Argentina continued his Cinderella run by taking down top-seeded Italian Luciano Darderi 6-4, 7-6 (2) in Marrakech, Morocco.
Trungelliti clinched a spot in the final and is the oldest first-time finalist in ATP Tour history at 36. En route to the final, Trungelliti took down the fifth, third and first seeds. Trungelliti converted four of six break-point opportunities and capitalized on Darderi’s eight double faults to deny the ‌Italian a ⁠repeat championship in the event.

Spain’s Rafael Jodar will try to halt Trungelliti’s magical run after he took down Argentinian Camilo Ugo Carabelli in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 in just 63 minutes. Jodar was never broken and held a 23-8 advantage in winners. This would also be the first title for Jodar, who at 19 years old, made his tour debut earlier this year at the Australian Open and is competing in ⁠his first tour-level clay tournament.

Tiriac Open
Qualifier Daniel Merida Aguilar of Spain came back from a set down to upset Hungarian third seed Fabian Marozsan 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-1 in a semifinal match in Bucharest, Romania.
After dropping the first set, Merida Agular knocked home four of his six break-point attempts ⁠over the final two sets, finishing with 35 winners. He defended his serve well throughout as he saved 17 of the 18 break points he faced to overcome his 39 unforced errors and reach his first tour-level final.



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PTF junior tennis begins | The Express Tribune

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PTF junior tennis begins | The Express Tribune


The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) is set to host the ITF Pakistan 3rd Zainab Ali Naqvi Memorial World Juniors Tennis Championship 2026, which will begin on Monday at the PTF Tennis Complex in Islamabad.
A total of 39 young players – 24 boys and 15 girls – from 14 countries including Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Japan, China, Australia, Russia, Poland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Thailand will compete in the week-long tournament.
The championship is dedicated to the memory of Zainab Ali Naqvi, a talented young tennis player from Karachi who died in February 2024 after suffering a heart attack during an ITF junior tournament in Islamabad. Officials said the event aims to honor her legacy and inspire emerging tennis talent in Pakistan and abroad.
PTF President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, along with Secretary General Col. Zia-ud-Din Tufail, paid tribute to Zainab. “This championship is a meaningful way to keep her memory alive while providing international exposure for young players,” Qureshi said.
Matches for both boys’ and girls’ categories will commence at 10:00 a.m. on Monday. Organizers expect a high standard of play and said the tournament offers a platform for young athletes to showcase their skills against international competitors.
The PTF extended a warm welcome to all participants and expressed hope that the event would strengthen Pakistan’s role in junior international tennis. Fans and tennis enthusiasts are encouraged to attend the matches, which will run through the week and conclude with the final rounds.
The championship represents Pakistan’s continued commitment to fostering youth talent and hosting international-standard tennis events, while keeping alive the memory of a promising player whose life ended too soon.



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