Miami QB D’Eriq King becomes first college player to sign NIL deal with pro sports team
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Miami quarterback D’Eriq King has signed a deal with an NHL team as part of an NIL partnership.
The Florida Panthers announced Monday that King is the team’s first “FLA Athlete” and the first collegiate athlete to sign an NIL agreement with a professional sports team.
“We are thrilled to welcome D’Eriq to Panthers Territory as our first ‘FLA Athlete,” Chief Strategy Officer Sam Doerr said via the team website. “D’Eriq is a superstar both on and off the field and we are excited to reach and engage South Florida sports fans in new ways through this collaborative partnership.”
The Panthers’ announcement states that “King will appear at Panthers games and events and work closely with the Panthers digital and social media teams to produce content to engage fanbases across South Florida.”
The release adds that King will work with the team to develop a merchandise collection, co-branded art and exclusive concession menu item at home games.
The Panthers play at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, approximately 36 miles north of UM campus in Coral Gables.
It will be interesting to see if any other college football players sign NIL deals with professional sports teams.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
