NIL Backpay Advising, Avoli's New NIL Class, and More | Newsletter #261
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for athletes, administrators, agencies and other sport professionals.
Today’s newsletter includes NCAA NIL data, athlete NIL deals, updates for administrators, and more.
Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!
This Monday Newsletter includes:
1. Profound Sports is advising on NIL backpay
2. Avoli announces new NIL class
3. What’s coming up in the world of NIL
4. Legal Update: NIL earnings for international student-athletes
5. News/tips for administrators and student athletes
Major News
Profound Sports is Offering Advising on NIL Backpay Settlement
NIL agency, Profound Sports, is jumping at the opportunity to work with athletes throughout the backpay claims process following the potential House settlement.
Within the settlement is a significant variance of pay mostly based on sport and conference. For athletes who did not play revenue sports (football or basketball), payouts are reduced to lost NIL opportunities and limited “pay-for-play” allocations estimated at $50. Certain revenue athletes outside of the Power 5 will be able to submit claims for additional compensation due to the notoriety of their sport.
For Power 5 revenue athletes, these payouts are much higher, and they also have the opportunity to submit lost NIL opportunities.
Profound Sports is offering consulting and expertise regarding claim submission to help athletes prove NIL value with the belief that this service could yield significant increases in an athlete’s payout.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Avoli Celebrates Anniversary and Announces new NIL Class
Avoli, the only athletic brand dedicated exclusively to women and girl volleyball players, celebrated its one-year anniversary with a $2.1 million funding round, a new exclusive retail partner and seven college athletes joining the brand as NIL ambassadors.
The NIL partnerships include three of the top college volleyball athletes: Anna DeBeer of Louisville, Lauren Briseño of Baylor and Alia Williams of Dayton.
Avoli will collaborate with former and current professional and college volleyball players for content creation, marketing campaigns, and camps.
The brand announced their new exclusive retail deal with SCHEELS, making Avoli shoes more widely accessible to women and girl athletes around the country.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Other Notable Stories to Follow
Texas A&M athletes combined are earning close to $30 million in NIL cash - LINK
Most people hear about groundbreaking NIL deals, but new NCAA data shows that over half of NIL deals are valued at $100 or less - LINK
UNC launched a new initiative to help their athletes manage NIL - LINK
Jacob Henry, incoming University of Oklahoma wrestler, signs NIL deal with the WWE - LINK
What’s Coming Up Next For NIL
Judge Wilken’s House Settlement Decision
Johnson v. NCAA District Court Judgement
Legal Updates
How Caribbean student-athletes have signed NIL deals
International student-athletes are typically issued an F1 visa, and having this type of visa automatically restricts you from engaging in employment outside of on-campus work, including NIL deals.
LSU track star, Brianna Lyston, who is from Jamaica, signed an NIL deal with Adidas back in February.
If you are an international student-athlete who is approached about an NIL deal, it is important to know the difference between active and passive NIL engagements, with active engagements being a violation of F1 visa guidelines while passive engagements are not.
As long as the brand only uses your image or likeness for jerseys, sports cards, and other merchandise and there’s no work involved in the transaction, you can legally earn from your NIL contract and collect licensing royalties later on.
Caribbean athletes are currently facing certain restrictions if they sign NIL deals in the US., but there are ways to earn NIL while international student-athletes continue to advocate for more opportunities for them to earn.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Optimum Sports Consulting is here to help.
For athletes looking for NIL insight and advisement, administrators and collectives looking for resources and facilitating a best-in class process, or agents looking to navigate the changing landscape, we’re here to help!
Message us now for a free consultation.
FOR ATHLETES
Notes for the Week
Riley Leonard announces NIL deal with Gillette on his Instagram - LINK
WWE NIL athlete Masai Russel wins Olympic gold in 100m hurdles - LINK
Two Ohio State Buckeye’s, Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Smith, are set to take part in an ad campaign with American Eagle - LINK
Tip of the Week: Watch for House v. NCAA updates and know what compensation you are entitled to.
Notification for the class: Assuming that Judge Claudia Wilken approves the settlement proposal, significant efforts will be taken to notify the plaintiff class about their eligibility to receive NIL backpay. According to the Motion for Settlement, “The proposed notice program provides individual direct notice to all reasonably identifiable members of the Damages Settlement Classes via email or postcard notice, along with a robust social media notice program, dedicated website, and toll-free telephone line where Settlement Class Members can learn more about their rights and options pursuant to the terms of the Settlement.”
Power 5 athletes: For former Power 5 revenue athletes, collecting their settlement payout will be relatively streamlined. The settlement will follow Dr. Rascher's formula, which calculates the lost earnings of athletes from not receiving broadcasting NIL payments (BNIL) and royalties from video game payouts. Members of this class will still be responsible for submitting a claim for lost NIL opportunities.
Non-Power 5: For the roughly 400,000 eligible student-athletes who did not play highly visible Power 5 revenue sports, there is still money available for damages related to video game payouts and other NIL earning avenues. However, to receive compensation, these athletes will have to submit their own claims: “Settlement Class Members will have the ability to electronically submit claims for damages where required. That includes claims for lost opportunity damages.”
Read more HERE.
FOR ADMINS
Notes for the Week
University of North Texas names Steve Keasler the Senior Associate Athletic Director for NIL and General Manager - LINK
Missouri director of football external relations, Brad Larrondo, is taking over as CEO of the Every True Tiger NIL Collective - LINK
USC’s Lincoln Riley shares update on their NIL situation - LINK
Iowa State’s NIL Collective announces deal with Elite Casino Resorts, who will contribute $300,000 - LINK
Tip of the Week: Not all positions are compensated equally.
The NCAA, in connection with Teamworks, posted a dashboard with analysis of the earnings of the top 10 football positions. As NIL deals play a growing role in college football, knowing which positions are earning the most offers insight into the future of player compensation and the changing dynamics of the game. Make sure you know the worth of each position and how much you need to budget for player compensation within your team.
Thanks for Reading!
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