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University of Oregon Defensive End and potential #1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft Kayvon Thibodeaux has announced that he collaborated with Nike co-founder Phil Knight and Nike VP of Design and Special Projects Tinker Hatfield for an NFT. The announcement came soon after the ruling of the Division I Board of Directors’ approval of an interim name, image, and likeness policy (NIL) which leads to student-athletes being compensated financially. The 1 of 1 NFT was drawn by Tinker Hatfield on Sketchbook Pro via his iPad.
Phil Knight and Tinker Hatfield are both U of O alumni and Oregon Football has been nicknamed “Nike University” thanks to Phil Knight’s large financial donations. With restrictions for student-athletes to be compensated by sneaker and apparel brands, there’s a loophole that Knight, Hatfield, and Thibodeaux found so it will be interesting to see how recruiting and financial compensation will be affected down the line.
Check out the NFT artwork below as well as Thibodeaux’s announcement via Twitter.
