Gophers QB Cole Kramer Says $30K NIL Rumors are False

Last week, an anonymous tipster hit the the GopherIllustrated.com message boards saying Cole Kramer accepted a $30,000 NIL payment from Dinkytown Athletes, in order to stick around campus and quarterback the Minnesota Gophers in the Quick Lane Bowl on December 26.

The $30K figure that was floated has never been and probably will never be verified, but Gopher football insider for 247Sports.com, Ryan Burns, confirmed that Kramer did accept some sort of NIL package in order to stay.

That brings us to Monday, when Kramer took to a podium at the Gophers practice facilities to meet with media and discuss their upcoming bowl game matchup vs the Bowling Green Falcons.

Related: Get to Know Cole Kramer, Minnesota’s Quick Lane Bowl QB1

Cole Kramer denies accepting NIL payment to stay for bowl game

Toward the end of his Cole’s presser, Andy Greder (Pioneer Press) asked him if he had anything in response to rumors floating around that he received ‘substantial NIL money for this opportunity’. Kramer’s response: Deny, deny, deny…

Cole Kramer denies receiving 'substantial NIL money' to stay with #Gophers through bowl game. pic.twitter.com/pA0k0sH2Tq

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 19, 2023

Greder: “There’s a rumor going around that you received some pretty substantial NIL money for this opportunity, what do you have to say about that?

Kramer: Yeah, you know, I saw that. I saw the post and the articles and, you know, that’s not true. It’s not accurate information. As much as I would love it to be true, it’s not. Just getting the chance to play, especially this last time and to start. You know, that’s what means a lot to me and that’s what makes it really special.”

Plausible denial by the Minnesota Gophers Quick Lane QB

Look, I wouldn’t expect Cole Kramer to use the podium as a confessional and tell us all about how he was offered and came to accept whatever NIL offer he did, in order to stick around and quarterback the Gophers through the upcoming bowl game, but that was highly unlikely to happen today.

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As could have been predicted, Kramer denied receiving any such NIL payment, meaning the random poster from GopherIllustrated.com, along with Ryan Burns’ sources, are both lying, which I doubt to be true.

It’s quite possible the $30,000 is an exaggerated figure, but I’d be shocked if he’s not getting something worthwhile out of Minnesota’s NIL fund. Then again, we’ll never really know so his truth is as good as anyone else’s.