Schottenstein’s ‘The Foundation’ NIL set to expand | Sports

Columbus native Brian Schottenstein, president of the Schottenstein Real Estate Group and former OSU quarterback Cardale Jones are planning to expand their name, image and likeness or NIL program benefitting The Ohio State University in Columbus to add more business partners and athletes.

Scottenstein told the Columbus Jewish News his program, The Foundation, will soon announce a “very large scale” expansion to include three additional local businesses and four Ohio State athletes. This is part of Schottenstein and Jones’ efforts to engage more of the community to support Ohio State, while keeping its athletic programs competitive with other big name schools.

“We can raise money from fans, boosters, businesses, alumni – people who are really passionate about Ohio State sports,” he said. “We’re looking forward to having the entire community involved.”

However, in a move that may differ from other NIL programs, The Foundation focuses on charitable work.

“We partner the student-athletes with local charities such as LifeTown and the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer Research, so not only is it good to help the student-athletes financially, but also gives them an awareness of giving back to the community,” Schottenstein said.

Schottenstein and Jones first became involved with NIL when they testified at the Ohio Statehouse in support of NIL-related nonprofits in 2021, later creating The Foundation in February. Schottenstein said he became interested in NIL when he noticed the amount of money other schools were raising to support athletic programming.

“I wasn’t really planning on getting involved personally, but I saw that a lot of the schools down south are raising a lot of money,” he said. “I wanted to make sure OSU was going to be able to continue to compete.”

The Program is ramping up as OSU launched its own program, NIL Corporate Ambassador Program, June 2. That same day Ohio State football coach Ryan Day sounded an alarm about what even top-tier college football programs need to stay successful in the age of NIL, arguing OSU needed an additional $13 million to keep its core talent.

According to a report by Cleveland.com, Day told a group of business leaders at the Corvelli Center on Ohio State’s campus that the influx in funding was necessary to keep his athletes from transferring to other schools that could offer more financial incentives.

“If the speed limit’s 45 miles per hour, and you drive 45 miles per hour, a lot of people are going to pass you by,” Day said. “If you go too fast, you’re going to get pulled over.”

This new reality comes on the heels of assorted lawsuits filed by NCAA athletes as far back as 2014 and the June 2021 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that mandated NIL rights. The NCAA Division I board of directors has since approved a framework to allow players to profit from NIL.

According to the NCAA policy, schools are not supposed to directly pay recruits or current players, but Day said he fears some programs around the country may be more cavalier with NIL benefits. Combine this with increasingly-relaxed transfer policies in the college ranks, which allow athletes to transfer without losing a year of eligibility and coaches like Day and administrators might wonder if their star recruits could be poached by other schools offering a better deal.

Despite Day’s concerns, Ohio State football is one of the most profitable athletic programs in the country. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Education, Ohio State football ranked No. 5 among all Division I programs in revenue for the 2018-19 fiscal year. Over the last four years, assorted estimates have figured the Buckeye football program to generate $115 million to $132 million annually.

Steve Mark is a freelance journalist.