16 Dec Nike Signs First NIL Student-Athlete Deal
Nike has made its first name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with a college athlete, signing UCLA women’s soccer player Reilyn Turner.
As part of the sponsorship, the sophomore forward and Nike will “team up to work with Los Angeles-based community partners,” to encourage young girls to be active, the company announced. Nike said its agreements with college student-athletes in the United States would include an element that connects back to their local communities.
“What Nike is bringing to the future of women’s sports is why I am most excited about being a part of the family,” Turner wrote on social media. “I am looking forward to being a role model and giving back to my community.”
Turner, a sophomore forward on the UCLA women’s soccer team, is last year’s Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a top scorer for the Bruins, finishing this season with ten goals, including a hat trick in September.