Texas A&M Coach Mike Elko Says His Program Will Fine Players For Committing Penalties

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images


When NIL payments and revenue sharing were first introduced in the world of college athletics, fans had a number of questions.

One of those questions was whether or not players could have their pay docked for things such as poor play or rules violations. Technically, because NIL deals are not meant to be “pay for play,” it would stand to reason that on-field mistakes couldn’t affect a player’s pay.

However, according to Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, that’s no longer the case.

Texas A&M Player Fines Will Go To ‘Coaches Cabo Fund’

Elko, in his second year in charge of the Aggies, has his team at 4-0 and ranked No. 6 in the country after close wins over Notre Dame and Auburn.

But Texas A&M is also one of the most penalized teams in college football. The Aggies average nearly 10 penalties per game for nearly 77 yards per game. While it hasn’t hurt them to this point, those types of mistakes will eventually bite them in big games.

So, what is Elko’s solution? Hit players where it hurts.

“So, I’ve tried all kinds of things,” Elko said of the issue. “Today, what we started was the Texas A&M football coaches’ Cabo fund. So, what’s going to happen now is, every time one of our players gets a penalty, they’re going to contribute to the coaches Cabo fund. We’ll see if that works.”

Elko gave the answer with a bit of a wry smile on his face. So it’s possible he was just joking around. But he actually wouldn’t be the first big-name coach to talk about docking player pay. Last season, Colorado coach Deion Sanders told players that the program would withhold NIL payments to players who aren’t succeeding in the classroom.

In a world where nobody seems to know what’s legal and what isn’t, it’s hard to say whether or not Elko and Sanders are actually allowed to do what they say they’re doing. But there’s only one way to find out!