NIL Newsletter #89 | Nike enters HS NIL, Ohio HS NIL proposal rejected, Nick Saban calls out Texas A&M, Miami, Jackson St. + ICYMI Ticker
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:
Sisters Alyssa and Gisele Thompson become first HS students to sign NIL deal with Nike
Nike has reportedly secured its first NIL deal with athletes at the high school level, signing two California sisters, Alyssa and Gisele Thompson, to a multiyear deal. Evan Sroka, managing partner of Everest Talent Management who represents the sisters, said Nike signed them to a deal that includes “monetary compensation”, according to the LA Times.
Alyssa and Gisele are soccer players at Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles and also have experience with Team USA national soccer. Alyssa, a junior, was a starter on the USA’s U-20 team that won the CONCACAF championship in March. Gisele, a sophomore, was a starter on the U-17 USA team that won a CONCACAF title on May 8th.
Both are committed to play soccer at Stanford following their high school careers. California grants high school athletes the same access as college athletes regarding NIL.
But, Alyssa nor Gisele will be able to wear Harvard-Westlake paraphernalia in their NIL endeavors. Sroka also indicated that the Thompsons reached an agreement on the deal with Stanford’s assistance to ensure that they would preserve their NCAA eligibility.
Nike’s first NIL deal of any sort was with a female soccer player Reilyn Turner (UCLA). Stanford golfer Rachel Heck also has a deal with Nike.
Ohio principals reject high school NIL proposal
Ohio high school principals voted to nix an Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) NIL proposal, after the results of a statewide vote on referendums were revealed on Tuesday.
The NIL proposal failed by a margin of 538 to 254. The proposal mirrored recent changes made at the collegiate level and would have allowed student-athletes to sign endorsement agreements so long as their teams, schools and/or the OHSAA logo were not used, the endorsements did not happen on school property or in school uniform, and provided there were no endorsements with companies that do not support the mission of education-based athletics, such as casinos, gambling, alcohol, drugs and tobacco.
“Every year, the referendum voting process shows that our member schools have a voice in this democratic process,” OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute said in a statement. “Our office was very pleased with the discussion and insights our schools expressed this spring as we met with them about each of the 14 proposals. If NIL is going to enter the Ohio interscholastic landscape, we want the schools to be the ones to make that determination.”
OHSAA member schools passed 12 of 14 proposed revisions to the OHSAA Constitution and Bylaws. The OHSAA’s annual referendum voting period ended at 4pm Monday. Each member school has one vote on each item, which is cast by the high school principal. Nearly every school participated in the voting process, with 813 of the OHSAA’s 817 member high schools casting their ballot (99.5 percent).
Nick Saban calls out Texas A&M, Miami, Jackson St.
Alabama’s Nick Saban was asked about the NCAA's NIL rules during an event in Birmingham for The World Games 2022.
“We were 2nd in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness. We didn’t buy one player. But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it,” Alabama Football HC Nick Saban said on Wednesday.
The comments also caught the attention of Miami NIL guru John Ruiz: “** SHOCKING** Saban stated in his speech that Miami (@LifeWallet) paid a player $400k a year but not for a true NIL. Saban’s statements contain admissions that he and the school involve themselves in their players NIL deals. WOW-CLEAR NCAA VIOLATIONS!”
ICYMI Ticker
Bryan Fischer of Athlon Sports: “Sources: Despite several active investigations (including one into a noteworthy collective), not a single school has reported violations of the NIL interim policy to NCAA enforcement or various Power Five compliance offices since it went into effect on July 1.” More HERE.
The University of Virginia and The Brandr Group have established a group licensing agreement for Cavalier student athletes covering all 27 UVA teams. The partnership, according to UVA and The Brandr Group, creates new opportunities for the student-athletes to profit off their NIL using the school’s official trademarks and logos.
Austin Peay State University and INFLCR have expanded their partnership to introduce Austin Peay’s INFLCR+ Local Exchange.