Michael Vick on missing NIL era: 'I would've gave Virginia Tech two more good years'

Former No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Michael Vick, who led Virginia Tech to an undefeated regular season and a Sugar Bowl appearance as a redshirt freshman, has thought about what it could’ve been like to play the NIL era.

“I certainly would’ve gave Virginia Tech two more good years,” Vick said in a phone interview. “I can say that for sure. If not two, one. I think my situation basically came down to not my living conditions but the living conditions of my family, and I thought it was important that I did what was right in that moment for my family. I wish I wouldn’t have had to make that decision and if NIL was around, I would’ve been able to make a decision that would’ve been feasible for all parties involved.”

If the NIL era hypothetically started at least 20 years earlier, what does Vick think he could’ve earned if he had returned as a redshirt junior for the 2001 season or even as a redshirt senior in 2002?

“I would say somewhere along the lines of maybe $250,000 to $500,000 because I was proven,” he said. “I was a proven commodity. I proved that I could go out there and get it done in a national championship and obviously now it’s almost like free agency. These guys got the ability to move and go other places and I’m pretty sure I would’ve had options and some form of representation that would’ve been representing me to help me make decisions.

“I would say somewhere along the lines of maybe between $250,000, $500,000, and that would’ve certainly kept me at Virginia Tech longer.”

‘How do we get the (NIL) rights to the greats?’

While Vick didn’t have the opportunity to play during the NIL era, he’s utilizing his own publicity rights to help his alma mater. This spring the Virginia Tech-focused sports marketing agency Triumph NIL released a new platform, where Vick is prominently displayed among the sports marketing agency’s “recent athletes.”

“I understand the influence and the impact that I have on the next generation, on the school itself, and so I’m just trying to use that as a sounding board to keep helping us get back to prominence,” Vick said. “I think that’s what’s most important right now.”

The executives of almost every NIL collective started their respective organizations in the last few years in order to facilitate payments to current college athletes. (In contrast, the Buffs4Life NIL Collective at Colorado is the expansion of a preexisting nonprofit organization that supports former Buffaloes as they navigate substance, health and career challenges.)

However, could an agency or NIL collective partner with a school’s former athletes to help expand its membership base, revenue or brand awareness in an effort to benefit current athletes?

A few collectives have organized or sponsored teams in The Basketball Tournament, which is a 64-team, single-elimination tournament made up of teams whose rosters are often centered around alumni from a single college basketball program.

“That was one of the first conversations I had is like, ‘How do we get the rights to the greats?'” former Virginia Tech wide receiver and linebacker Brenden Hill, who was a founding partner of Triumph NIL, said in May. “The trouble is trying to track down a lot of those photos or video content from when those athletes played hasn’t been as easy but like I said, whenever Mike’s in town, we know we’ll have access to him to activate around him and create great experiences for the fan base.”

Vick credits relationships with Triumph NIL

Former Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones, who was a first-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, is listed next to Vick of Triumph NIL’s website. Kevin and Robyn Jones are both partners of Triumph NIL, with the latter serving as the sports marketing agency’s COO.

Vick’s relationships with fellow former Virginia Tech players helped him in the process.

“It certainly helped knowing Brenden, knowing Kevin Jones,” Vick said. “It helped. It helped me have more in-depth conversations on what was trying to be accomplished – the goals and doing it under the proper restrictions and guidelines, and doing it the right way.

“Once I was able to see what their model was and what they were trying to accomplish, it made it a lot easier for me to make a decision.”

Members of Triumph NIL can access a video of Vick signing with the agency. There are also free photos available of Vick, both present day and from his college career. They can pay to receive skills training, design advice or a shoutout from Kevin Jones.

As a first-team All-American in 1999, Vick led Virginia Tech to the 2000 BCS National Championship game, where Florida State beat Virginia Tech. He was named to the Pro Bowl four times in the NFL after the Atlanta Falcons drafted him No. 1 in the 2001 NFL Draft.

“The reason we love the Lakers is because of Kobe and Magic and those guys, so I think it’s just the same thing with college athletics,” Hill said.

When extrapolating nationwide, Hill said there’s likely a small number of athletes per school who could provide value in this way, although he said it depends on a fan base’s passion for a given sport. Hill suggested those players would likely come from teams that won a conference or national championship, or made the Final Four.

Triumph NIL’s plans with Michael Vick

Perhaps the most popular and accessible potential activations, are jerseys or T-shirts with Vick’s No. 7 jersey number, or autographed memorabilia from the former quarterback.

“We’re going to definitely put out some Triumph Vick jerseys,” Vick said.

Triumph NIL shared photos on its Twitter account from Vick’s recent trip to Blacksburg for the “Mike Vick Experience Camp,” when he wore a Triumph NIL hat and a hoodie from their co-branded line of merchandise called “VICKTORY.”

“We’re just trying to merge it and gel it together so that it makes sense to all parties involved and we all walk away from it, everybody’s happy with what we’re doing,” Vick said.

Hill said everything is on the table, which could include pairing Vick with current athletes or sponsors.

“I think the most important thing is having an athlete like Mike buy into Triumph and what we’re all about so that when the moment happens, we’re able to leverage him as a resource,” Hill said. “I think that’s what I’ve noticed about NIL is you never know when those moments are going to happen so being ready for the moment is better than like trying to call Michael up in the middle of the season and find out where he is.”

Challenges in signing former athletes

There are obvious hurdles for a collective’s executives to clear if they want to partner or promote a former athlete from a university. First, since collectives exist primarily to provide earning opportunities for current athletes, which former athletes are worth the investment of time, money or other resources?

Secondly, do a collective’s executives have the relationships or connections to convince a successful former athlete to provide their time or marketing rights on behalf of a third-party entity?

Plus, Hill mentioned the potential challenges in locating or obtaining rights to archival photos or videos.

There are examples of high-profile former athletes running collectives, such as former Nebraska wide receiver Matt Davison serving as president of The 1890 Initiative and former Villanova guard Randy Foye working as co-executive director of Friends of Nova.

However, in the case of Vick signing with Triumph NIL, a former athlete is a marketing draw for potential donors and sponsors, similar to a school’s current athletes.

“I think the challenge with [an] alum is going to always be bandwidth, time, because they aren’t central to the university,” Hill said. “For a while, if you went to a Virginia Tech game and it was sold out, the number one jersey you would see in the stands would be a No. 7 jersey. So to be able to reintroduce merchandise or memorabilia to the fan base at large and it supports Mike in whatever his efforts are, right?

“What we’ve always said with the legacy play is these athletes most likely are doing well so maybe the money they make is to help them support a cause that they’re passionate about.”

Hill said the partnership also helps raise money to fund for the operations of the sports marketing agency and in turn, the next generation of Virginia Tech athletes.

“I think that’s the one thing that lot of people don’t realize is the resources it’s going to take to keep these collectives afloat,” he said. “That’s the big area of opportunity I see is not a lot of people are comfortable with the idea that the people who are keeping NIL afloat need the same resources that your donor club needs or your marketing department. Like these people need resources as well so we’ve just always tried to be creative with trying to direct resources and Michael is a great alum and a great representation.”