Clemson’s first athlete endorsement deals revealed
Justyn Ross became the first known Clemson athlete to utilize the new name, image and likeness bill on Thursday morning.
Hours after the law went into effect, the Tigers’ wide receiver took to social media to reveal his new partnership with a company called The Players Trunk to create his own merchandise.
“Stay tuned throughout the year for more!!!” Ross tweeted.
The photo included images of a gray hoodie and T-shirt with Ross’s name and image of him in an orange and white uniform. According to information released by Clemson on Wednesday night, athletes are prohibited from using the institution’s intellectual property, which includes its logo. The colors aren’t trademarked by Clemson, of course, and since there are no other indications that the image is affiliated with the school, Ross is legally able to use the image.
According to its Twitter bio, The Players Trunk gives athletes a platform to sell their merchandise. Along with Ross, the company is also now selling merchandise for Kentucky men’s basketball guard Dontaie Allen.
A little over an hour later, Tigers offensive lineman Matt Bockhorst tweeted about a partnership with Gopuff, a delivery company that brings items like food, drinks, cleaning supplies, over the counter medication and more. The tweet included a $25 incentive to sign up.
Tigers tight end Braden Galloway posted a video saying Opendorse, the company Clemson has worked with since 2015 to provide student-athletes with education about endorsements, set him up with his first deal. He didn’t name the company then, but a few hours later, posted another video publicizing his newly-created Cameo.
Wide receiver E.J. Williams announced he will be working with PlayMaker, a Florida-based media company, while cornerback Fred Davis is partnering with College Football Edits. Safeties Nolan Turner (Barstool) and Ray Thornton (Yoke Gaming) added their names to the growing list on Wednesday night.
At the moment, Clemson University’s athletic department isn’t responsible for keeping track of which athletes have signed sponsorship deals. That will be another step added to the ongoing process in the coming days with the school using a software called Compass.
South Carolina, Mississippi State, Alabama, UCF and Northern Illinois University also intend on using the program.
This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 10:38 AM.
