David Seelig/Cal Sport Media via AP Images
A former coach from the University of Colorado football team went to Saudi Arabia seeking NIL funding from the owners of LIV Golf.
Sports Illustrated on Thursday published a report on Trevor Reilly, Colorado’s special teams coordinator who resigned Aug. 1. In Reilly’s resignation letter, which was reviewed by SI, he revealed the lengths he went to in order to gain funding for the university’s NIL Collective 5430.
That included going to Saudi Arabia to strike a deal with the Public Investment Fund — the owners and operators of the PGA Tour’s biggest rival.
“The arrangement was that, because I did all the NIL work at [Jackson State University] 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 said in the 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.”
Reilly clarified that he acted alone when he decided to travel to Saudi Arabia. He emphasized that he “did nothing illegal” and was “trying to help Colorado the best way I knew how.”
Reilly also said he had “no bad feelings” toward anyone in the program, but he was “at odds” with a few of them.
Though Reilly did it on his own and was not instructed by the university to negotiate with the PIF, the fact that they were interested could be a sign of things to come. The Saudis have already invested heavily in golf, the UFC, and boxing. Reilly’s story — as well as an April tweet from Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson — shows that they’re looking to expand their sports portfolio to include American football.
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