“I feel like it’s really unnecessary” – Simone Biles’ former coach Cecile Landi gives opinion on NIL program for NCAA athletes

Simone Biles’ former coach Cecile Landi has shared her views on the NIL program for collegiate athletes. Having coached multiple elite athletes, Landi stepped in as co-head coach of the University of Georgia’s gymnastics team alongside coach Ryan Roberts in April 2024.

Landi opined on the NIL system and its impact on athletes during the podcast Flipping Out with Bridget Sloan:

“Like social media is a blessing and a curse, things can happen for athletes but when an added pressure, I feel like it’s really unnecessary but that’s part of it. You know you still need to enjoy college life. You’re still young. You have many many many years of worrying about money and building your lives. So just enjoy that.

But yes sometimes it can be a lot of pressure on the athletes, especially you know the best ones. It’s great but at the same time they are still struggling with themselves, you know they are still building and growing.” [22:30]

After coaching at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy for around 10 years, Landi became a coaching staff member at the World Champions Centre in 2017. She played an instrumental role in shaping the success of the American women’s gymnastics squad at the 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo, and 2024 Paris Games.

Cecile Landi has showcased her Olympic rings from the 2024 Paris Games on her Instagram story. She shared a picture of her collection from three editions of the Games – 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo, and 2024 Paris Olympics.