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Former special teams coordinator Trevor Reilly recently revealed some tactics that he used to help with NIL while working with the Colorado football team. Reilly made it clear that he didn't do anything illegal during his time with Colorado, but he did use some strategies that are a bit surprising. Reilly actually traveled to the Middle East and was lobbying Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
“Reilly said he spent time in the Middle East this past holiday season lobbying Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) funding on behalf of CU Football,” An article from Sports Illustrated read.
The report from SI also included part of what Trevor Reilly included in his resignation letter to the Colorado football program.
“The arrangement was that, because I did all the NIL work at Jackson and got us through, you guys would pay me a modest salary and make me the Special Teams Coordinator, which should have freed up time for me to handle NIL activities,” Reilly wrote in his letter. “You paid me $90,000 a year and let me handle special teams. I did all this work in your name and was told to pursue it. I burned through all my contacts in my Mormon community, which is worth about $3 trillion. Now, I can't get these people to answer my calls because I just found out today that none of my endeavors will happen. I even went to Saudi Arabia and got a meeting with the Saudis, who were interested in pursuing business. I have email receipts to prove it, and you guys let it fall flat on its face.”
Colorado football could've changed the NIL game
Had Colorado football received NIL funding from this, it would've completely changed the game. The amount of money brought in for top players like Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders would've been off the charts. The Saudi Arabia government is very involved with sports right now as they work with numerous professional soccer teams, LIV golf, Formula One and more.
Some people aren't very happy with how Saudi Arabia is involved with the sports world, and one of those people is Rich Eisen.
“This is Saudi Arabia buying the PGA Tour,” Eisen said during an episode of his show. “And also buying the lawsuits going between both entities, the LIV golf tour and the PGA Tour, and dropping those lawsuits. That’s what this is about. The Saudi Prince doesn’t want to be deposed. This has been explained to me by multiple people. How it comes across can be expressed in two words. It stinks. It stinks to high heaven, that’s five words…Jay Monahan is quoted as saying ‘LIV is using players and the game of golf to sports wash the recent history of Saudi atrocities.’ And today, what Saudi atrocities? Poof. Gone. How does Rory McElroy feel today? Tiger Woods, who turned down almost a billion dollars? I’m just saying, the Saudis own Golf. Period. End of story. That, for the sports world, is an atrocity.”
NIL has done some crazy things to college sports, but coaches lobbying the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is a first. Nothing ended up coming from it, but this just goes to show that the world of NIL can take college athletics to heights that we haven't even imagined.
