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Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia got into an argument with a company on social media Monday night, claiming he didn’t have a NIL deal with them after they produced and began selling merchandise with his image on it.
The thing is, it turns out that he may actually have authorized sports apparel company BreakingT to create the merchandise and not even realized it.
First of all, it isn’t like BreakingT was trying to be sneaky. They literally tagged Diego Pavia in their social media post announcing the new merch which features his image and his now viral catchphrase “Vandy We Turnt.”
The company also linked their post to an earlier message shared by Pavia on social media letting businesses know how to contact his agent for NIL inquiries.
That’s what makes Diego Pavia’s reaction to the BreakingT post all the more strange.
“This is not me.. WE HAVENT WORKED OUT A DEAL! DO NOT ORDER!!” Pavia responded on X (Twitter).
This is not me.. WE HAVENT WORKED OUT A DEAL! DO NOT ORDER ‼️ https://t.co/5zzazGqQ2F
— Diego Pavia (@diegopavia02) October 15, 2024
Less than half an hour later, BreakingT wrote back to Pavia.
“Well, this is awkward,” the company wrote on X.
“These shirts were approved and are licensed by Vanderbilt and yourself (via One Team Partners), and you’re receiving a royalty on all sales.
“Please DM us if you’d like anything further. Thanks.”
So, what exactly is going on here?
Surely, Diego Pavia would know if he signed a NIL deal with BreakingT, wouldn’t he? And surely, BreakingT wouldn’t be so blatantly obvious if he hadn’t signed a deal with them, right?
According to Margaret Fleming of Front Office Sports, the answer appears to lie somewhere in between.
“OneTeam Partners is one of the major players in the collegiate group licensing space that represents athletes in large marketing deals in lieu of a players’ association, which takes on this role in the pros,” she explained. “It’s the company that helped make EA Sports College Football a reality by negotiating on behalf of the athletes: EA got to use their NIL, and athletes got $600, a copy of the game, more potential marketing opportunities, and no royalties.”
At most major Division I programs, it’s standard practice for all new athletes to sign a group licensing contract with a company that the school partners with, like OneTeam.
According to a source familiar with the situation, Pavia did sign a group licensing deal with OneTeam.
So, despite claiming to have no knowledge that the deal he signed with OneTeam would mean companies like BreakingT would be able to use his name, image and likeness, Diego Pavia, and presumably many other college athletes, in reality did exactly that.