Rutgers is making headway when it comes to NIL (Name, Image and Likeness). The Knights of the Raritan, which is the Rutgers collective, made a big announcement today. In the 2023 calendar year, every Rutgers football player will receive an NIL deal. The Knights of the Raritan is also working to achieve the same results for every player on the Rutgers men’s and women’s basketball team.
“The Rutgers University athletics programs and fans are embracing the new and exciting world that is college sports during the NIL era,” said Jon Newman, President of Knights of the Raritan. “This announcement puts RU at the forefront of this landscape, and provides partnership opportunities for the athletes involved with the Rutgers football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball teams.
“We want to express our gratitude to our members and donors and we’re excited to work with every Scarlet Knights varsity sport on differentiated deals. This commitment also allows us to expand our member benefits as we enter our first full year of operation.”
These deals will enable Rutgers to become one the first universities in the nation to complete deals for every student athlete in those three major sports. Last week, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano took time during his latest press conference to laud the work of the Knights of the Raritan.
“The Knights of The Raritan have been unbelievable. The amount of work that gets done, and this is a labor of love for a lot of many people that are behind that,” Schiano said. “I know there’s been some matching things going on and a lot of the Rutgers faithful have stepped up in a big way, and we’re grateful. But I’m grateful for the people that run the Knights of The Raritan because that’s their time. They are volunteering their time to help us. Like I said last time, I encourage our fans like I said last time, I encourage our fans and supporter to step up because it definitely is part of college football now. It’s the way it is, and I know it’s the same in college basketball. Whether you like it or not, there’s a lot of different ways to look at it, really, and I understand everybody’s opinion, but it is what it is.
“It is the way current college football is, and for us to compete in the Big Ten East, we need to have that support, and I’m grateful for the support that we’ve received.”
Fans can learn more about the collective and contribute directly at knightsoftheraritan.com.
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