The drama began nearly two weeks ago when Iamaleava was reported to have been looking to restructure his NIL deal with Tennessee’s collective, seeking a number in the $4 million per year range. Iamaleava had been signed to a four-year, $8 million contract.

Nico Iamaleava's dad and adviser Corell Landers denied that negotiations were going down after reports started to surface. Sources close to Iamaleava claim that it wasn't true. It

While reports have stated that Iamaleava was seeking an increase in his NIL deal from $2.2 million to $4 million, Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports spoke to a "close family friend" of Iamaleava's father, Nic, who denied claims that Iamaleava pushed for more NIL money.