• Loading stock data...
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Tuned In is Almost Sold Out! Limited Tickets Remain!

The NCAA Handed Down The First NIL Infraction. Now What?

  • Miami women’s basketball received minor punishments for a meeting between players and a booster.
  • The decision gives several clues as to how the NCAA will adjudicate NIL in the future.
A ball on the Miami Hurricanes basketball court.
Miami Hurricanes

In April 2022, women’s basketball players Haley and Hanna Cavinder decided to transfer from Fresno State to Miami. The social media stars — and two of the top name, image, and likeness earners — told Front Office Sports that NIL was not a factor in their decision.

“I know that a lot of people can assume it could be about NIL,” Hanna Cavinder said at the time. Instead, it’s about winning — finding a place where the two could “have the best opportunity to get to the March Madness tournament.”

exclusive

Approaching $1M in NIL Earnings, Cavinder Twins Transfer to Miami

Two of the most marketable college athletes are transferring from Fresno State.…
April 21, 2022

But almost a year later, the Cavinder twins’ transfer is the subject of the NCAA’s first NIL infraction.

Miami women’s basketball coach Katie Meier was punished for “facilitating” a meeting between a booster and prospective athletes, the NCAA said — confirmed by Sports Illustrated to be Miami businessman John Ruiz and the Cavinder twins. Ruiz also met them earlier than he should have, and provided a “recruiting inducement”: a free dinner.

The punishments were little more than a slap on the wrist. Meier was suspended for three games, and the team — currently on the March Madness bubble — incurred a one-year probation and a fine. The Cavinder twins were not punished, and Ruiz was not asked to “disassociate” from the program.

In a statement provided to Front Office Sports, Meier called the violation an “inadvertent mistake.” While Miami acknowledged responsibility in a separate statement, it added: “The University encourages the membership to review NCAA bylaws that have been on the books for decades and may no longer be applicable or realistic in today’s environment.”

The NCAA warned that the punishment isn’t a precedent for future violations. But the case itself gives clues to the NCAA’s overall NIL adjudication strategy: It wants to go after high-profile deals, punish even the smallest infractions, and use a plea bargain-esque tactic to avoid lawsuits.

The Perils of Promotion

It might seem surprising that the NCAA’s first infraction was handed down in women’s basketball, rather than football. 

But the choice likely wasn’t about the sport — it was about fame.

The Cavinder twins are two of the most famous faces of the NIL era, with projected earnings at or above $790,000 each. Ruiz has almost single-handedly put himself, and Miami, in the national spotlight using his barrage of interviews, openness about deals, and daily Twitter presence. 

“Of all of the people and all of the schools, it doesn’t seem like a coincidence that this is where the NCAA went after first,” sports attorney Dan Lust, who works with schools in the NIL space, told Front Office Sports. “If there is compensation that goes from one source to an athlete, does it need the corresponding tweet to tell everybody you did it? That’s the question that needs to be asked in this arena.”

The NCAA said it was alerted to the case by tips. But it also noted in its report that it learned of Ruiz’s dinner with the twins because of a photo he posted on Twitter in April — several days before the transfer was announced.

It’s impossible to know the NCAA’s specific motivation. But it’s easy to see why the governing body, which is losing some of the power over these matters it once held, would be more interested in investigating NIL deals that are all over the news, rather than ones that have flown under the radar: It’s a show of force.  

Expect the governing body to go after high-profile cases going forward, as it has codified this concept. In January, a new bylaw went into effect saying news reports or social media posts can constitute evidence of a violation.

No Infraction Is Too Small

The NCAA is still willing to go to great lengths to prove an infraction, no matter how miniscule. And it doesn’t care if the violation occurred when a rule wasn’t clear.

The NCAA could not find any direct evidence of serious NIL-related inducements at Miami. Meier never asked Ruiz to offer the athletes a deal. The NCAA put in its report that NIL opportunities weren’t discussed between Ruiz and the Cavinder twins at dinner.

Ruiz himself pointed this out on Twitter: “After digging for months and finding nothing [the NCAA] had to create something.”

Yet, the NCAA is having the last laugh. The very publication of an infraction is a punishment when the name of a school, player, or booster ends up in the news cycle.

The NCAA even made good on its promise to adjudicate violations that came about before a memo concerning these types of situations was distributed.

In her statement, Meier noted that she had a conversation and helped arrange the meeting between the twins and Ruiz prior to the release of a May document suggesting that wasn’t allowed.

A Potential Legal Cover

The NCAA took 18 months to issue its first infraction because it was scared of getting sued, not because it had finally decided to stop exerting control over athletes.

The Supreme Court decision in NCAA v. Alston suggested that the governing body can be scrutinized in court for antitrust violations if it tries to regulate anything related to athlete compensation — including NIL.

And the fear is justified — Ruiz tweeted that if the violation “affected our companies, I would go after the NCAA.”

The NCAA is currently protected because the punishment came from a “negotiation” between the NCAA and Miami, Lust noted. Since the school effectively signed off on the decision, it probably can’t sue.

Because Ruiz and the Cavinder twins weren’t directly punished, there’s less of a reason for them to sue — even if they are being dragged through the mud.

Silver Lining

The case could actually allow some in the industry to breathe a temporary sigh of relief.

“I think for the programs that are quietly doing everything the right way, this has to be viewed as somewhat of a win,” Lust said.

The case is also an opportunity for athletic departments: They could finally exercise control over boosters.

The NCAA awarded them this ability with NIL collectives. In its most recent memo, the NCAA said athletic departments are allowed to endorse a collective to the detriment of others that may not be following the rules.

But there’s been no such mechanism for individual boosters. Lust predicted that the NCAA going after Ruiz “might make the boosters take a step back,” because they would see how their cherished departments could be harmed by their blasé activities.

Ruiz ended his Twitter rant with: “NCAA will eventually disappear!”

It’s a long shot, but if did happen, we’d almost certainly see showdowns with more schools before it was all said and done.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) pursues Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) during the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.

College Football Enters Week 3 Up 21% in TV Ratings

Total college football viewership across all networks is up big.

UEFA Delays Overseas Matches Ruling As LaLiga Miami Game Looms

Barcelona-Villarreal is scheduled for late December at Hard Rock Stadium.

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.

Featured Today

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
opinion
September 9, 2025

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from NFL’s Week 1 Broadcasts

Many viewers decried the addition of ads to “NFL RedZone.”
Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) leads the team onto the field for warm ups before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
September 7, 2025

Slow Burn: The NFL’s Private-Equity Era So Far

Three deals have been struck to date. But the league is bullish.
Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks with Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., ahead of President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.

House Republicans Delay SCORE Act Vote Tentatively Planned for Next Week

They didn’t believe they had enough votes to pass the bill.
Feb 17, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs guard Jalen Weaver (5) during the first half against the Boise State Broncos at ExtraMile Arena.
September 10, 2025

NCAA Bans 3 Basketball Players for Violating Betting Rules Last Season

The former San Jose State and Fresno State players have lost eligibility.
Jan 25, 2023; Langley, British Columbia, CAN; Highlights from the CHL Kubota Top Prospects game at the Langley Events Centre
September 10, 2025

NCAA Hockey Scouts Denied Passes for Crucial Recruiting League

The CHL won’t welcome scouts on passes: “It comes across as petty.”
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
NFL Congress
exclusive
September 10, 2025

College Sports ‘House of Cards’: Republicans, Lobbyists Work to Secure Votes to..

Several House Republicans criticized the SCORE Act on social media.
The cover of the College Football 25 video game.
exclusive
September 9, 2025

Group That Facilitated NIL Deal for Football Video Game Now Says It’s..

EA offered $1,500 and no royalties; it also deleted an opt-out clause.
Sep 6, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; South Florida Bulls place kicker Nico Gramatica (7), South Florida Bulls long snapper Turner McLaughlin (48) and teammates celebrate after a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
September 8, 2025

USF Is the Newest Financial Underdog in the AP Top 25

USF’s athletic department brings in half the amount Florida does.
September 7, 2025

Oklahoma-Michigan Was a Battle of Dueling QB NIL Philosophies

Bryce Underwood got into a heated exchange with his teammate.