SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga announced Tuesday afternoon that they are creating a program called Next Level to assist student-athletes as they navigate the new world of being able to profit off of their name, image and likeness.
According to a press release from Gonzaga, the program will assist student-athletes in five key areas: Personal brand management, financial literacy, business and entrepreneurship, social media, and NIL legislation.
It appears the program will mostly be tailored to Gonzaga's basketball athletes, as Gonzaga's press release says that the program "will be provided to student-athletes in Gonzaga’s basketball programs".
“This moment is an important one for our student-athletes,” Gonzaga Director of Athletics Mike Roth said. “It’s exciting that we can empower them with the NIL legislation. Our Next Level program will be a great tool to educate the student-athletes. We are looking forward to our partnership with INFLCR. Their knowledge and technology will give us a great foundation to start this process for not only our student-athletes, but for our department as well.”
“With the NIL opportunities coming in the near future, I am excited that we are giving student-athletes a real chance to build their brands,” GU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mark Few said. “I’ve been a big believer in the NIL movement, and I’m proud that we can start helping our players capitalize on their potential.”
“I am really glad we will be able to offer our student-athletes some guidance with the new NIL legislation coming out soon,” Gonzaga Women’s Basketball Head Coach Lisa Fortier said. “We have incredible student-athletes in our programs, and we want them to have every opportunity to maximize this movement to their benefit.”
