De’Montre Tuggle Becomes First Ohio University Student Athlete to Ink Monetary Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Deal
Saturday, July 3, 2021
Today, De’Montre Tuggle becomes the first Ohio University student-athlete to sign a monetary NIL deal. As part of new NIL guidelines, student-athletes may be compensated for the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness arising from their skills and accomplishments.
“We’re thrilled to do our part to support NIL compensation for Ohio Bobcat athletes under the current NIL guidelines and look forward to other businesses joining us to do the same,” said Ted Thompson, Co-Manager of BobcatAttack.com and Ohio University alumnus. “I think I can speak for Bobcat fans across the country when I say we can’t wait to see student-athletes back doing what they love.”
Founded in 2000 and operated by Ohio University alums Ted Thompson and Ryan Carey, BobcatAttack.com has been the go-to internet fan site for Ohio University sports fans to talk about their beloved Bobcats.
“I’m extremely excited to work with BobcatAttack.com to promote their fan site,” said De’Montre Tuggle, Ohio University Football player. “I feel that this is an amazing opportunity to finally be able to benefit from name, image, and likeness and am hopeful that this is the start of something great as I head into my final season here in Athens.”
“As businesses continue to explore what this means for them, it’s important to remember this is still about the student-athlete,” said Brad Konerman, NIL Consultant and Student-Athlete Advocate at 14fifty Partners, a consultancy brought in by BobcatAttack.com on the NIL deal and supported Tuggle in working with the athletic department at Ohio University. “NIL offers student-athletes opportunities to be compensated monetarily in ways previously not possible, but it is equally about deepening the relationships student-athletes have with their donor and fan bases to capitalize on marketable brand value.”
Name, image, and likeness stories have topped the headlines of news outlets across the country for the last several weeks, culminating on July 1 when new guidelines became effective across the country.
“Athletes being compensated for their hard work on and off the field is long overdue. The new NIL laws are a great step forward and will be a positive for both the student-athletes and athletic programs,” said Ryan Carey, Co-Manager of BobcatAttack.com and Ohio University alumnus.
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