Florida football and Graham Mertz are coming off of a win over Tennessee that marked the biggest victory of the Billy Napier era and continued the Gators’ home winning streak against the Vols. It was a statement.
At the forefront of the win was quarterback, who completed 19-of-24 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown without an interception. Although his stat line did not jump out off of the page, for Mertz not to lose the game was a phenomenal performance.
The highlight of the game came at the end of the first quarter. Mertz pumped-faked a Tennessee defensive back out of his shoes and scampered for a first down on 3rd-and-5.
Matt Pendleton, a Gainesville-based freelance photographer, took a great photo of the pump fake.
Florida Victorious, the official NIL partner of the Gators, released a new shirt in partnership with Alma Mater Custom Apparel. On the front is a vector image of Mertz’s pump fake.
The shirt costs $40. A portion of sales will go back to Florida’s top NIL collective and its QB1.
Graham Mertz will get a cut.
None of the money will go back to Pendleton, who took the initial photo. He will not be compensated for his work and wonders why the money won’t trickle down to the photographer.
Whoa! Do I get a % too since I took the photo? 😎
— Matt Pendleton on social media
The shirt would not exist without the photo, which would not exist without the photographer. Why should the quarterback get paid a percentage of t-shirt sales but not the person who, essentially, created the t-shirt being sold? Pendleton is asking all of the right questions.
Alma Mater should get its cut. Florida Victorious should get its cut. Mertz should get his cut.
As should Pendleton.
Creatives deserve to be properly compensated for their work. The shenanigans down in Gainesville is not the proper way to go about it. Shame!