Greg Byrne Kills NIL Shut Down Rumor

A scary situation for the Alabama Crimson Tide arose late Wednesday evening when a report surfaced saying that Alabama's top NIL collective would be shutting down.

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Football Scoop reported that Alabama's top NIL fund, The Walk of Champions, would be shutting down. The group, spearheaded by former Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson, was operating with full access to the Crimson Tide's campus.

With NIL being at the forefront of collegiate athletics, a report of the top collective shutting down could cause ripples in the Alabama recruiting machine, which currently sits at No. 2 overall in the country according to most major metrics.

The Walk of Champions NIL Collective was operating as a non-profit as it sought to help Alabama athletes with marketing deals and other opportunities in the ever-changing landscape of NIL in college.

Wilson spoke with AL.com following the report of the collective shutting down.

"Out of an abundance of caution for our donors and charitable partners, Walk of Champions ceased accepting donations and implemented a plan to dissolve," Wilson said in a statement.

Less than two years after the fund began, it's fizzling out.

The Athletic Director of Alabama, Greg Byrne, quickly shut down the headline that Alabama's top NIL collective would be shutting down.

In his tweet, Byrne references Yea Alabama, which is the top collective for NIL with the University of Alabama.

More Crimson Tide staffers joined Athletic Director Byrne in refuting the rumor.

General Manager Courtney Morgan tweeted "Fake News" in response to the report by Football Scoop.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer reposted the "Fake News" comment by Morgan.

A report of NIL collectives shutting down could be used by other coaches to negatively recruit the University of Alabama. At the request of the University of Alabama, Football Scoop posted a revision to their story.

In the clarification, they reported that it was the donor-led collective that shut down, not the one spearheaded by the University of Alabama.

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.