NIL for all NC High School Athletes, UCLA Restructuring Their Collective + ICYMI | Newsletter #280

Oct 17, 2024

Today’s Thursday newsletter includes highlights from this week, important news from last week, and what to watch for.

Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!

Recapping Major News This Week:

NIL Deals are now Legal for North Carolina Public School Athletes

On Monday, an order was signed into effect that gives public school student athletes in North Carolina the legal right to earn money off their NIL.
On October 1, a decision from a Superior Court Judge set up a path to reverse a policy that blocked high school athletes from making a profit off NIL deals.
The lawsuit was filed by a top quarterback, Faizon Brandon, who is verbally committed to play football at Tennessee.
The original lawsuit was filed by his mother, who stated that her son was presented with a “life-changing” deal that would have paid him and his family “a substantial sum of money.” He can now take advantage of that opportunity.
CLICK HERE to learn more.

This week, it was announced that UCLA’s Champion of Westwood will serve as the official NIL collective supporting all UCLA student-athletes.
There are three distinct umbrellas under this Collective: the existing Men of Westwood fund, which will exclusively support men's basketball, the existing Champion of Westwood fund to support women's basketball and Olympic sports, and Bruins for Life, a new arm established to focus solely on football.
The role of Champion of Westwood is to empower student-athletes by securing and facilitating NIL opportunities that allow them to monetize their personal brands.
"As the NIL landscape continues to evolve, we must adapt and strengthen our partnership with the collective. This restructure is designed to bring further alignment and clarity of purpose to NIL funds, with the ultimate goal of supporting our student-athletes at an elite level," said UCLA's Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond.
CLICK HERE to learn more.

5-star basketball prospect Nate Ament lands NIL deal with Reebok - LINK
Colorado High School Activities Association teamed up with Triple Threat Leadership to address the increasing complexities around NIL deals - LINK
Ohio State football stars attended a bye week NIL event with Hollister - LINK
Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City resigned five athletes to their NIL program - LINK
Rick Pitino gave $15,000 to Kentucky football’s NIL fund - LINK

California Governor, Gavin Newsom, Vetoes NIL Transparency Bill

Bill SB906 would have required collectives to submit details for NIL deals worth $5,000 or more to the school the athlete attends.
Newsom said on Monday that “college sports are in a period of transition… [and] as governor, I want to ensure California’s colleges continue to be competitive with other states. Further changes to this dynamic should be done nationally.”
If Newsom let the bill pass, collectives would’ve needed to provide NIL deal details about the amount of compensation and value of service to the athlete, the name of the athlete’s team, their gender, and the amount of compensation provided to all athletes at the school each year by sport and gender.
CLICK HERE to learn more.

Famous golfer Jack Nicklaus has found himself involved in a complex legal battle for his NIL after he sold the rights in a deal involving his old company. Nicklaus sold off a minority equity share of his company, Nicklaus Companies, in a $145 million deal that included giving up rights to his personal NIL. The Nicklaus Companies has authorized an AI version of Nicklaus. Nicklaus now finds himself in an ever-evolving online space without rights to his own likeness
Victor Wembanyama, the 2023-24 NBA rookie of the year, is suing a Texas man for alleging using his NIL to sell merchandise. Wembanyama alleges that the man began exploiting Wembanyama's likeness and launched a website selling merchandise in his image. Wembanyama's legal team argues that he is guilty of false endorsement and violating Wembanyama's privacy rights.
These two cases should serve as a warning to athletes to be careful who you sell your NIL rights to. Not having rights to your own NIL can lead to uphill legal battles in the future.

Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!