Boise State NCAA athletes are making endorsement deals under new NIL rule

With the new rule that the NCAA instated, Boise State athletes are now allowed to be paid for their name, image and likeness (NIL).

The NCAA has long prohibited the payment of college athletes. The reasoning behind this is because the NCAA wanted to preserve the amateurism in college sports, and believed collegiate athletes did not deserve to be paid because they are not professionals.

Athletes have been challenging this rule for decades, but the biggest pushes to change this law came in the last decade with former University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) basketball player Ed O’Bannon and former University of Central Florida (UCF) kicker Donald De La Haye pursuing legal action against the association.

O’Bannon sued the NCAA after claiming they were using his NIL without paying him in the EA Sports NCAA Basketball game franchise. De La Haye sued when his football scholarship was revoked after making money off of his YouTube channel. 

O’Bannon won his lawsuit, which resulted in the NCAA shutting down all of their game franchises, while De La Haye’s lawsuit resulted in both sides “amicably resolving” the issue.

The NCAA finally decided to change their NIL rules to allow college athletes to be compensated over their NIL, and took effect on July 1, 2021.

“Now [college] athletes have a means to take care of their people and take care of themselves,” De La Haye said in an interview. “Now these athletes can use their hard work and grind that they’ve worked their butts off for years and they can earn some money and give back. It opens up a whole new world and I’m really excited to see all of the positives and benefits that come from this rule change.”

The NCAA’s new NIL rule does not only apply to college football athletes, but applies to all college athletes. 

According to Boise State Athletics in a press release, the school will partner with companies like INFLCR, TeamAltemus and NOCAP sports to give their student-athletes the best experience when it comes to endorsement deals. 

Boise State Athletics also mentioned that these companies will help them manage and monitor new NIL deals that athletes make along with helping athletes meet the NIL guidelines and seek out new partnership deals.

Boise State’s senior wide receiver Khalil Shakir has been the most notable player on the team to take advantage of the new rule change. On Sept. 12, 2021, Shakir announced that he will be partnering with Pro Image Sports, a store that sells professional sports team apparel.

“I’m excited to launch my new partnership with Pro Image Sports,” Shakir said in a video on Twitter. “Shoutout to my new Pro Image family and make sure to check them out at the Boise Towne Square mall and at the Village in Meridian.”

Shakir is the third player on the Boise State team to have an endorsement deal, joining redshirt sophomore running back Tyler Crowe who has a deal with the supplement company Bucked Up and freshman quarterback Taylen Green who partnered up with Crull Fitness.

Although these players are the only Boise State athletes to sign endorsement deals so far, it is expected that student-athletes from other teams will sign deals in the future.

“We have been preparing for the passing of NIL legislation for several months,” said Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey in a press release. “The student-athlete experience has been and always will be the highest priority for our department, and we will constantly and consistently seek new opportunities to positively impact what we are able to provide the young men and women who choose to become Broncos.”