After years of schools selling numbered T-shirts and jerseys with their logo but no name on the back, the University of Alabama and redshirt freshman Chris Braswell have signed a cobranded name, image and likeness deal.
According to Sports Illustrated, the deal, which became possible this summer when the NCAA allowed athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness, was struck through BreakingT. The merchandising company is producing a T-shirt that will resemble an Alabama football jersey, with Braswell’s name and number on the back as well as Alabama’s scripted A logo on the front — above Braswell’s number 41.
SI’s Ross Dellenger reported that the shirt, which is selling for $38 in adult sizes and $34 in youth sizes, is the result of a cobranding deal that will give a cut to each of the three parties. According to Dellenger, a school’s cut is normally about 12 percent to 20 percent of each sale, while Braswell’s manager Ethan Weinstein said his client is expected to receive a similar portion of the revenue.
It’s a new avenue for college athletes, and a significant change at Alabama, which is the top-ranked team in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll.
“Every player who’s had their number put on a jersey before him has made a lot of money for the name on the front of that jersey,” Weinstein said, noting the deal runs through Braswell’s college career, but the linebacker can end it at any point. “Now he gets to see some of that money. It’s something huge.”
