Michigan’s Blake Corum Donates 300 Turkeys With NIL Earnings

Michigan running back Blake Corum has invested money he made from name, image, and likeness deals into Thanksgiving turkeys. 

For the second year in a row, Corum delivered turkeys to families in the Michigan community that he purchased using NIL earnings. This year, he distributed 300 — despite recovering from the knee injury he suffered on Saturday.

Corum’s use of NIL resources is one of many examples of how athletes have used the new industry for charitable causes. 

• Across the country, NIL collectives have begun paying players to both promote charities and do volunteer work. One example: Michigan State women’s gymnastics players inking a deal with Charitable Gift America.
• Players like Oklahoma’s Nick Evers have donated revenue from their NIL deals to charities like the Make A Wish Foundation. 
• Some have used their platform to help companies that facilitate charitable donations, like FSU’s Dillan Gibbons, who inked a deal with GoFundMe.

Athletes aren’t just giving NIL earnings and resources to charity, however. Some, like Caleb Williams, have even gifted products to their own teammates — the USC quarterback gave them Beats by Dre headphones.