Diego Pavia is now a commodity. Check that — an empire if you count the fact his lawyer lives in Puerto Rico.
“It is an incredible place to live with a huge community of expats, entrepreneurial spirit and nice tax advantages,” Ryan Downton told CBS Sports.
These type of things matter now. As of December, we thought Pavia’s story had ended. Vanderbilt’s quarterback completed a colorful, inspiring career by leading the Commodores to a seven-win season, its first above .500 since James Franklin left 12 years ago.
After five years and three programs, Pavia was off to the NFL. Or, so he hoped.
“Shoot, I’d like to think I was probably the best quarterback in the country if I was coming out this year,” he said.
But there has been more at work in this story than hopes and dreams. In November, Pavia sued the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility. The shock waves from the result of that lawsuit are still being felt. Pavia just might be on the cutting edge of a new eligibility model as CBS Sports detailed last month.
Downton had originally approached the quarterback the day before the epic upset of Alabama on Oct. 5. The veteran attorney had a right and the ability to seek out this unique client. Downton was a Vandy cheerleader while pursuing his undergrad degree in the business school. It occurred to him that Pavia deserved an extra year of eligibility despite a winding career that began at New Mexico Military Institute and migrated to New Mexico State before a transfer to Vanderbilt.
The suit states that Pavia’s eligibility clock starting in junior college (at NMMI) violated anti-trust laws. It argues, in essence, that the restriction denied the quarterback of an opportunity at more NIL benefits. The judge who ordered the…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/armed-with-more-eligibility-and-nil-diego-pavias-value-could-go-from-nonexistent-to-full-fledged-empire/
Author : Dennis Dodd
Publish date : 2025-03-12 16:36:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
