Randy Cross, a Super Bowl champion, believes that there is no fair way to implement NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals.

The storm of NIL has transformed the way collegiate athletics operate.

Randy Cross, a three-time Super Bowl champion and College Football Hall of Famer, discussed the effects of NIL (compensation for college athletes' name, image, and likeness) during a recent interview on OutKick's "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich."

"The issue with (NIL), Dan, is that fairness is rarely a factor in sports, and it's impossible to say that everyone will receive the same amount of compensation," Cross said.

"Fairness is what everyone desires, but life isn't always fair."

The former player, who is 70 years old, ponders about the source of funding for the universities' increasing NIL demands from athletes.

If you only focus on college basketball and football, what are the limitations, and where will the money come from? Not enough people discuss this.

"Recently, you've heard quotes questioning the concept of the cloud. However, the money isn't coming from the cloud, but rather from companies like BlackRock and countries like Saudi Arabia. It's just a matter of time before it's released."

In addition to the source of funds, the primary concern for high school athletes visiting college programs is now their overall fit and potential for success in the program.

"My son plays college basketball at Illinois State. He said, 'Dad, we often discuss education and the journey to play, but what everyone truly cares about is the NIL money,'" Dakich stated.

"He called me the other day, saying, "I just wasted 45 minutes of my life bragging about our school and our program and our history, and all the dads wanted to know was NIL money.""

No laws are in place to regulate 16-year-olds cashing in big NIL deals.

"That's where we are. We're at that point where in baseball, basketball, and football specifically, young kids aged 16 or so are cashing in on their athletic abilities, and it's impossible to stop them. You can't have a law that prohibits them from making money off their abilities at that age. It's coming, and it's coming fast."

At UCLA, he played college football and was named a First-Team All-Conference selection as a center in 1975. In the 1976 NFL Draft, he was selected in the second round by the San Francisco 49ers. During their Super Bowl XVI, XIX, and XXIII championships, he played both center and right guard.

As a football analyst, Cross worked for CBS Sports and NBC Sports following his playing career.

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