You are wrong and your ego is in the way of clear thinking.
NIL existed back then but the NCAA rules (that unlawfully and unethically) prevented athletes from profiting from their own names, images, amnd likenesses. No defensible analysis of the morality of recruiting parctices and culture from that era can ignore this sad reality from the past. Universities and their governing body were oppressing the athletes and essentially misappropriating the individual athlete's rights to monetize their own individual name, image, and likeness.