Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
The state of Mississippi is quickly becoming one of the most corrupt states in college sports.
That’s certainly saying something since I’m basically writing this in the shadows of the capitol building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
A few weeks ago, we watched grown men, including self-proclaimed Ole Miss fans, stand in a courtroom debating tonsillitis and manufactured Carson Beck academic outrage to secure Trinidad Chambliss another year of eligibility. The clown show that took place in Pittsboro, Mississippi was as hysterical as it was maddening. It ultimately ended with a local judge narrating for an hour while he fought back tears over his own ruling.
That is a level of narcissism I can’t even imagine, and I make a majority of my living on social media and behind a microphone.
This was an interesting part of the Trinidad Chambliss ruling this evening against NCAA
Judge Robert Whitwell visibly getting emotional as he declares the Ole Miss QB is granted a preliminary injunction.
🎥: WLBT https://t.co/klwV38X7al pic.twitter.com/cpaWP9N2Iz
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) February 13, 2026
Yesterday, however, was a new low in just how backwards and absurd the deep South can be when it comes to football. The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a bill to make NIL tax free. That’s right, the millions of dollars that 18-24 year olds are making off of a game won’t be taxed. The professors teaching their classes will still be taxed. The coaches coaching them will still be taxed. The gas station attendant who’s most likely serving the most delicious fried chicken on a stick you’ve ever had? That person will be taxed, too.
The athlete, though? The one going to college for free and still making more than some in that state will in a lifetime? Nah. Tax free, baby.
Wild times
A teacher? Taxed Income
A police officer? Taxed Income
Health Care Worker? Taxed Income3rd string cornerback? Tax free $$$ https://t.co/st5OEVPlZW
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) March 2, 2026
That’s happening in the state of Mississippi. A state that ranks fourth in the nation in federal funding dependence is eliminating taxes, but for what? It’s not about helping the athletes. It’s about enticing more elite recruits to choose Mississippi.
It’s absurd. It’s unfair in plenty of ways. But more than anything, it’s brilliant. It’s also completely necessary if we are ever going to have an even playing field again across collegiate athletics.
The state of Mississippi is working to make NIL money tax-exempt to gain a recruiting advantage for their schools over other states.
Mississippi House passed a “no tax on NIL money” bill to make playing in the state more enticing.
(via ClarionLedger) pic.twitter.com/Ca9mbtwhVO
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) March 2, 2026
They’re not the first state to do this. Florida, Texas and Tennessee all have zero state income tax. Arkansas passed a similar bill in 2025. Missouri has been ahead of most every other state, allowing players in high school to receive NIL payments as soon as they commit to an in-state school.
It draws more attention when Mississippi does it because, well, it’s Mississippi. The state carries decades of entrenched perceptions that shape how people react to moves like this. There’s also the fact that it ranks No. 47 in fiscal stability, No. 49 in economy and No. 50 in health care.
Mississippi has its problems. They have a lot of them, to be frank. Viewing this decision as a glaring lack of priorities or as willful ignorance focused solely on sports misses the bigger picture.
For a state that has lagged behind in so many things, Mississippi has finally found itself in an unfamiliar place, ahead of the curve.
Hopefully, this isn’t a catastrophic lapse in judgment. Instead, maybe it becomes a catalyst for broader change across college athletics, pushing the South toward something it hasn’t seen in a long time: a truly level playing field.
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