UK QB apologizes for video bragging about NIL money he sent to social media critic
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Calzada apologized after a private video circulated showing him flaunt NIL pay.
- Video, shared by a critic, drew 1.5 million views and prompted a team response.
- Calzada’s NIL status and benching fueled criticism of coach Stoops’ roster strategy.
Kentucky backup quarterback Zach Calzada has apologized for posting a video in which he appears to brag about the amount of NIL money he was paid to come to play for the Wildcats.
“I take full responsibility for the video I sent to someone on social media,” Calzada wrote in a note posted to his Instagram account. “I let my emotions get the best of me. It does not reflect the gratitude I should share as a member of the Kentucky Football team. I sincerely apologize to my teammates, coaches and our fans. I’ll learn from this, do better and move forward with more respect for the opportunity I’ve been given.”
The video, which had been viewed more than 1.5 million times on X as of Friday afternoon, shows Calzada counting a large pile of $100 dollar bills. The video was not posted to Calzada’s public social media accounts but was believed to be sent directly to a fan who mocked him for being benched after just two games as a Wildcat, then downloaded and posted by that fan on X.
In the video, Calzada tells the fan named Garrett to stop hating and, “Go get you some money.”
“But since you ain’t got none, you can count mine,” he says before fanning the bills, which appear to amount to thousands of dollars.
Calzada then spreads the money out on the ground and brags the amount is more than Garrett’s “whole monthly paycheck.” Calzada is not wearing any UK gear in the video, but at the end of the shot you can briefly see his team-issued backpack.
“Zach has taken responsibility for his actions,” a UK spokesperson said in a statement provided to the Herald-Leader. “He has done the right thing and apologized. Now, it’s time to move forward.”
Calzada, who turns 25 on Saturday, is playing his seventh and final season of college football due to a series of waivers received from the NCAA to extend the normal five-year playing clock.
He started his career at Texas A&M, helping lead the Aggies to an upset of No. 1 Alabama in 2021, then made stops at Auburn and Incarnate Word. He signed with UK as the presumptive starting quarterback out of the transfer portal in December after two years at Incarnate Word.
Calzada was officially named UK’s starter the Monday before the season opener but struggled in a win over Toledo and a loss to Ole Miss. Late in the Ole Miss game, he injured his throwing shoulder, leading coaches to put redshirt freshman Cutter Boley into the game for the final two possessions.
Boley has started every game since, even after Calzada returned to full health, and has seized the job as the Wildcats’ featured quarterback.
The amount of money players are paid via NIL endorsement contracts and revenue sharing payments from the university is not subject to open records, but Calzada is believed to be one of the higher earners on the roster even though he is no longer starting. That dynamic has led to increased criticism for UK coach Mark Stoops and his roster-building strategy as the team struggled this season and Boley played well.
This story was originally published November 7, 2025 at 5:13 PM.