9-Year-Old Sign 6-Figure NIL Deal

In some of the most surprising news to come out of the NIL world in some time, a 9-year-old football player from Los Angeles has signed an NIL deal worth six figures with Family 4 Life. Family 4 Life represents a number of NFL players from around the league, and now a “football, baseball, track and karate star” who played in Snoop Dogg’s youth football league.

While young Ghalee Wadood Jr. is a star, earning MVP honors in his first year in the Snoop Youth League, no first-year player has ever won the award before. Snoop Dogg started the league in 2005 to offer inner-city kids a way to participate in youth football and cheer programs. Notable alumni of the league include Juju Smith-Schuster, John Ross, and Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley according to Football USA. 

His father, Ghalee Wadood Sr. is an employee of the Los Angeles Rams as an associate manager of high school football, and his uncle was the commissioner of the Snoop Youth League, so football runs in his blood. However, as one of the youngest athletes to sign an NIL deal (behind golfing phenom Patton Green who was six) this deal seems like a long shot to see a return on investment. NIL deals with athletes who have not even reached double digits is great for their families, but when offered the deal, Ghalee Wadood Jr. had to ask what a sports agency was in the first place. And how would a story about football prodigies be complete without Baby Gronk? According to On3, Baby Gronk San Miguel has an NIL valuation of $115,000 while being only eight years old. NIL deals with children are controversial because these athletes are too young to fully understand what they are agreeing to, even if their parents are involved. 

However, this issue extends beyond child prodigies into the collegiate level. 39% of female student-athletes and 42% of male student-athletes are looking for more education and resources navigating NIL opportunities and financial management. Improving your NIL education about group licensing, collectives, and taxes will help student-athletes better understand their NIL offerings. 

While there are some third-party online NIL resources like CleanKonnect's NIL Certification Course, some universities are now offering courses for their student-athletes. Courses like this one at BYU are a step in the right direction toward a safer NIL marketplace.