A current and a former ESPN personality found themselves in a social media feud over a controversial report on Michael Vick and the head coaching vacancy at Sacramento State.
NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the school is “in talks to hire the first pick of the 2001 draft to become Sac State’s next football coach as the program moves from the lower rung of Division I, FCS, to the highest level, FBS.
Additionally, Schefter reported, the Hornets have a fortune of $50 million in Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) funds, which “could weaken the school’s case for an invitation to the PAC-12 or Mountain West conference strengthen.’
But Doug Gottlieb, former ESPN college basketball analyst and current men’s basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, didn’t buy it.
“Jeezus Shefty, adjust what agents tell you,” Gottlieb wrote on X. “0.0% chance Sac State has $50 million in NIL.”
The NCAA lifted its ban on endorsement deals for student athletes in 2021. Since then, “NIL” has become an abbreviation for the money players receive from groups of boosters known as “collectives,” which try to entice recruits to attend a particular college.
Adam Schefter reported that the school is “in discussions to hire the first pick of the 2001 draft” to become Sac State’s next football coach, but Doug Gottlieb was skeptical about the NIL funds.
Former ESPN analyst and current Green Bay Phoenix head coach Doug Gottlieb (right) is at odds with Worldwide Leader’s NFL insider Adam Schefter (left)
Michael Vick has no coaching experience at any level, but that could change
The largest collectives in the country can dispose of tens of millions. In Oregon, where Nike founder Phil Knight is an alum and major donor, the Ducks collective has a $23 million budget for football recruits, which could help explain why they are undefeated and the top-ranked team in the country.
So Gottlieb and several other college sports insiders were understandably skeptical of Schefter’s report.
“This sounds like I’m fact-checking a former colleague, and I’m sorry because I love Adam, but I’m literally friends with the former head coach of Sac State and they don’t even have $1 million in NIL money. , let alone $50 million,” former ESPN reporter Kevin Van Valkenburg wrote on X.
The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel added, “Sac State has nothing close to $50 million (2.5 times Ohio State’s roster) in NIL money.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to a Sacramento State football spokesperson for clarification on the confusion.
But the social media feud didn’t end there. Schefter immediately doubled down on his reporting on the school collective known as the “SAC-12.”
“The SAC-12 leading (the school’s) NIL efforts has already announced that it has achieved its original goal of raising $50 million in NIL funds to support the school’s case for an invitation to the PAC -12 or Mountain West Conference,” Schefter wrote on X .
Doug Gottlieb currently coaches last-place Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix
Many fans came to Gottlieb after Schefter made a comment about WGB’s record
Schefter then targeted Gottlieb, who still works in sports media despite being the head coach at a Division I basketball program.
“And Jesus, Doug,” Schefter continued. “A seven game losing steak (sic) and last place in the Horizon League? Less time on social media and more time in the gym.’
To prove his point, Schefter included a sampling of the Horizon League standings, with Gottlieb’s Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix in last place.
ESPN’s Kevin Clark followed with a quick “hell yeah adam,” while others made other jokes at Gottlieb’s expense.
(NFL Commissioner Roger) Goodell is about to put Schefter on the commissioner’s exempt list after that attack,” one fan wrote.
Former ESPN football analyst Taylor Twellman added a fist emoji in solidarity amid a flood of memes from other followers.
As for Vick, it remains unclear whether he will take the Sacramento State job, as he is also linked to opening at Norfolk State in his native Virginia.
We do know that Sacramento State President Luke Wood has confirmed a meeting.
“He has expressed interest in the position and yes, I have spoken to him about his interest in Sac State football and our athletic emergence,” Wood told ESPN. “You can imagine that given the success of our athletic programs, our job as head football coach is an attractive role.”
Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho joined in with a Mortal Kombat meme
Sacramento State was just 3-9 last season under head coach Andy Thompson, who has since left the program to take an assistant position at Stanford. Previously, in 2022, Sacramento State was 12-1.
Vick has no coaching experience at any level. He was set to become the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends in the short-lived spring football league, the Alliance of American Football, but was demoted to analyst before the start of the season.
In college at Virginia Tech, Vick led the Hokies to the 1999 BCS National Championship game, where they lost 46-29 to the Florida State Seminoles.
He was selected first overall in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons and immediately became a star, earning Pro Bowl recognition in 2002, 2004 and 2005.
But his entire career came to an abrupt halt in 2007, when investigators discovered evidence that an illegal dog fighting ring was being run at a property Vick owned in Virginia. He pleaded guilty to federal charges and spent 21 months in federal prison.
Hours after pleading guilty, Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL and released by the Falcons.
Vick, a free agent, signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in August 2009 at the suggestion of Philly’s then-starter, Donovan McNabb. He retired in 2015 after stints with the Jets and Steelers.