🏅 "Brother Bear" uses NIL for Adoption

Hey there,

Hope your weekend was as good as mine: Sitting back in a chair, ripping through chicken wings, and watching March Madness all day. Then again, when Caitlin Clark cashes nine threes against LSU, there’s more jumping and cheering than sitting.

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If you have any ideas for how we can make NIL Wire better, shoot us an email at [email protected]. Now, to the News!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

Does NIL Provide Legal Protection?

Apparently, NIL isn’t just providing monetary compensation – a recent case shows that signing an NIL deal has been used as the basis for legal protection. Illinois’ Terrance Shannon Jr. was charged with rape stemming from an incident in September, but in January, a federal judge granted him legal protection (at least partly) because of his NIL deals. 

After Shannon Jr. was suspended by the team for sexual misconduct in December, a judge deemed that not letting him play is actually a violation of his civil rights, as it would restrict his ability to make money on his NIL as well as hurt his NBA draft chances. The school was forced to lift the suspension, and Shannon was back playing almost immediately.

"From a legal standpoint,” attorney Daniel Swinton said, “It’s fascinating.” (More)

“Brother Bear” uses NIL to Make Adoption Easier

Joshua Alan McWhorter Jr. – known to loved ones as simply “Bear” – is a three-star recruit out of Georgia using NIL for a very special purpose. His two little sisters are both adopted, which is why he’s now channeling NIL money toward offsetting adoption costs for families looking to adopt. 

Through the soon-to-be-established Brother Bear Foundation, families will be aided by Bear’s NIL payments to make adoption more financially feasible. “Adoption completely changed my life,” Bear said, “When I started getting those opportunities, I knew it was time to do something.”

Bear’s father says his son was set on aiding adoption from the outset: “We were talking about different ways to use NIL to help others, but he kept coming back to adoption. He and his sisters have a special relationship.” (More)

Bruce Pearl will Fire NIL Tamperers on the Spot

Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl is fed up with NIL tampering, which is why he recently declared that he’d fire anyone on his staff immediately if they partook in tampering practices.

“An NIL agent could literally call anybody on my roster and offer them some sort of NIL deal somewhere else, and it’s no longer tampering,” he said, “I can tell you, we’re not going to do that. Just because it’s legal, I promise you, we’re not doing that. And I’ll fire a guy that ever tries to do it.”

Pearl’s Tigers fell to Yale in the first round of this year’s tournament, marking one of March Madness’ biggest upsets. (More)

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK

DJ Burns Jr. is Money 💰️ 

DJ Burns Jr. may be the biggest winner of March Madness so far. The North Carolina State big man has been a focal point for the Wolfpack’s offense, combining silky smooth jumpers with big bodied backdowns en route to the school’s first Final Four bid since 1983. See how he bodied Duke (and earned himself plenty of NIL money) during the in-state Elite Eight Matchup this weekend!

DOWN TO BUSINESS

GroupM’s Big Bet on Women’s Sports

Media investment agency and advertising powerhouse GroupM just announced they will be pouring money into women’s sports this upcoming year. The company spent an estimated $64 billion in total media spend last year, which will now be allocated in larger part to women’s sports.

This news is important for college sports perhaps more than any singular professional league. Thanks to NIL, “investment” can now mean NIL payments – the company has worked with known NIL spenders like Adidas before.

“It’s extremely important now to get in front of this,” said Martin Blich, GroupM’s executive director for sports and live entertainment in the U.S., “There’s a lot of white space in the women’s sports marketplace, we’ve seen a lot of growth over the last few years now, and even though the ground floor has probably already been occupied, we really wanted to expand that.” (More)

• Have you ever wondered which athletic departments handle the most money in the country? Here’s a list of revenue and expenses by school – led by Ohio State, Texas, and Alabama.

• Game Plan just announced an extended partnership with Wells Fargo to provide financial literacy resources to every collegiate athletics department in the country for free. “Student-athletes stand to gain more than ever through NIL,” the press release said, “This is the perfect time to offer this enhanced financial education program.”

COLLECTIVE 101

A Legend-ary NIL Membership

One of Kentucky’s football collectives, The 15 Club, is trying everything to get NIL dollars in the building, which is why they recently announced the ultra-exclusive “500 Strong” VIP program that gives collective members wild perks. The first perk? A private John Legend concert.

You may be wondering how an NIL collective could possibly have pockets deep enough for an intimate, private John Legend concert – well, it turns out the music superstar is actually the uncle of Anthony Brown-Stevens, a sophomore on the team. Kentucky football coach Vince Marrow was also at Legend’s mother’s birthday party in early March – so the team has connections.

The 15 Club is expected to raise $4.5M per year, according to the Kentucky sports radio host Matt Jones. (More)

• USC’s NIL efforts could reach new heights in 2024, according to the House of Victory collective, including a system where the school will financially support recruits before they even enroll at USC.

• Iowa football’s Kirk Ferentz sounded off on NIL recently, saying “At least when you sign a contract [in the NFL], you sign a contract.” Iowa was recently the epicenter of a strange NIL drama involving Alabama lineman Kayden Proctor.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Cameron Brink

Cameron Brink is a standout Stanford basketball player who's not only dominated the court but also captivated audiences worldwide. Through her tenure at Stanford, Cameron didn't just play; she built a community.

Leveraging her immense talent and infectious personality, Cameron secured impressive partnerships with renowned brands like New Balance, Bumble, Evo Vision Correction, and more, solidifying her status as a rising star off the court. Cameron has become a beacon of inspiration for fans everywhere — As she embarks on her next journey, declaring for the WNBA draft, we wish her luck.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ South Carolina’s freshman sensation just landed a TurboTax deal 

♦️ Lane Kiffin is predicting transfer madness in “stupid” portal system

♦️ Golfer John Daly shares his unfiltered NIL thoughts

♦️ A judge is giving the NCAA more time to respond in Tennessee injunction case 

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Is the impending high school football super league going to destroy high school sports?

• Yes, players won’t play for their own high schools anymore - 74%

• No, it will only add to the high school football experience - 26%