The College Sports Commission is looking into possible rules violations at between five and 10 Power 4 schools regarding payments to players, according to multiple reports.
According to CBS Sports, which first reported the existence of the queries, the questions involve potential violations of the $21.5 million spending cap that a school can share with players, along with third-party payments to players that allow schools to circumvent the cap.
The CSC had asked questions at between five and 10 schools, though that does not confirm a full-scale investigation is taking place, a person familiar with the investigation process told The Associated Press on Friday.
Among the CSC's main functions is to monitor third-party deals with so-called "associated entities" -- people and companies that do business with their respective schools -- to make sure they are fairly valued and that they have a valid business purpose.
With athletic departments using third-party NIL to circumvent the cap, some schools are reported to be spending up to $50 million on their football rosters this year.
CBS Sports based its reporting on multiple sources and public records requests. It did not name the schools under investigation, nor did the person who spoke to the AP.
CBS Sports published part of a memo sent to campus leaders in August stating that the CSC's investigations department was "actively conducting multiple, longer-term investigations into potential cap evasion and NIL-related violations by institutions, student-athletes, and certain third parties."
Last month, the CSC reported that it had cleared more than $227 million in deals between July 1 and Aug. 31 while rejecting deals worth $67 million. Deals the CSC rejects get sent back to the parties, who can rework them to make them conform, as happened at Nebraska earlier this year.
Though no case has reached this point yet, the CSC has the authority to deliver postseason bans on schools and restrict the amount they can spend on certain sports under the revenue-sharing cap. It can also declare players ineligible. All decisions are subject to arbitration.