Back in the 1980’s and 90’s, an NFL player would sign an endorsement deal with a local car dealership if he were lucky. He’d voice some commercials, make an appearance or two, and get a pickup to drive around for the season.
Times have changed. Clemson star Trevor Lawrence will most likely be the first player taken in the NFL Draft on Thursday, and the probably future Jacksonville Jaguar is raking in endorsement deals, including one that you might be able to say is a first for a professional athlete.
On Friday, Lawrence announced he has signed with the cryptocurrency company Blockfolio, and his signing bonus for the multi-year deal has already been paid to him up front. In cryptocurrency.
The CEO of Blockfolio sounds pretty excited he was able to sign the young star. “Trevor Lawrence is the future of professional football and cryptocurrency is the future of money, so the partnership was a no-brainer. But as impressive as Trevor is on-the-field, I was most impressed with his character and charitable focus off the field.”
The payments Lawrence has received have been primarily Bitcoin and Ethereum.
And without even taking a snap in the NFL, Lawrence is printing money. His bitcoin payment was put into his account on Friday, and with the uptick in the crypto over the weekend, he’s done well on the deal already.
The parent company for Blockfolio is called FTX.us, and they are players in the sports world too, having recently signed a 19-year, $135 million deal to have the naming rights for the Miami Heat arena.
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