NIL Newsletter #141 | Salvation Army, UGA NIL Deals, Ruiz Suing NCAA, + ICYMI
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for student athletes, administrators, agents and other sport professionals.
Recapping NIL This Week:
Rutgers Star Cliff Omoruyi Donates NIL Money to Salvation Army
When Clifford “Cliff” Omoruyi moved from Nigeria to New Jersey as a teenager, he started his basketball career at the Salvation Army of Newark, New Jersey.
He attributes his development to his host, Muhammad Oliver, and the time he spent in the Salvation Army’s basketball program.
"I almost gave up on basketball," Omoruyi said. "[Oliver] got me to believe that I could be what I want if I just keep working."
The junior, who is averaging 13.5 points and 9.8 rebounds this year for Rutgers, is a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which is handed out to the best center in men’s college basketball.
He plans to donate $25,000 to the Salvation Army, and the donation will go towards refurbishing the courts in Newark.
More on the story is available HERE.
Information Released on NIL Deals at Georgia
This current school year, Georgia has approximately 500 student-athletes—half of them have signed NIL endorsements within the past year.
A total of 22 different deals had values of over $50,000 per transaction, while 400 more had values between $1,000 and $50,000.
Football athletes accounted for 776 NIL deals, 60% of the total since NIL legalization, with Men’s Basketball and Men’s Soccer student-athletes signing the second- and third-most deals, respectively.
In spite of the large number of NIL transactions, very few of them were signed through NIL marketplaces, but overall transaction volume has increased year-over-year according to journalist Mark Weiszer:
“Few used an NIL marketplace such as Opendorse or Icon Source with only 27 of 419 in the first year and 17 of 132 in the second. … NIL activity from July 1, 2022 to Jan. 26, 2023 with 701 disclosures already outpaces the 608 from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.”
More facts and figures are available HERE.
John Ruiz Plans to Sue NCAA
Following the NCAA’s recent decision to enforce sanctions on Miami(FL)’s Women’s Basketball Program, LifeWallet CEO John Ruiz has announced a plan to sue the NCAA within the next 5 days.
Ruiz, who has distributed over $10 million in NIL deals to various student-athletes, has not publicly stated the type of relief he seeks from a court. However, he outlined his argument over a phone interview with On3:
“The main gist of it is I’m not a booster,” Ruiz said. “Therefore, the categorization of me as a booster is legally incorrect. There has already been an agreement in place. I think the university could petition them back to shorten the probation period.”
Ruiz argues that he does not fit the classical description of a booster, which is a “representative of the institution’s athletic interests.” Instead, he focuses on striking deals with the athletes themselves.
The NCAA has already clarified that the ruling was not related to athletes’ NIL rights, but classified it as “NIL-adjacent.”
Some believe that the NCAA would welcome an NIL related lawsuit, as it allows them to progress through a discovery period.
More on the story is available HERE.
ICYMI Ticker
Stanford Cross Country student-athlete Charles Hicks signed a deal with Nike, worth between $50,000 and $150,000 per year. LINK
The Memphis-focused 901 Fund is expanding to include collective funds for all 18 men’s and women’s programs. LINK
DePaul AD DeWayne Peevy endorsed the launch of the Under the L collective in an open letter to fans. LINK
The Red and Blue Collective launched in partnership with SANIL to support Duquesne student-athletes. LINK
ACC Commissioner James Phillips addressed the memo released last week: That was a confidential, privileged document … We need help from Congress and our elected officials and that’s where we have to come together and provide something on both sides that meets in the middle.” LINK
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