Two of the top NIL earners in women’s college hoops — UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd — are now out due to injuries.

Fudd’s foot injury only has her slated to miss a couple of weeks. But Bueckers suffered a tibial plateau fracture in her left knee that will bench her for at least six to eight weeks.

Experts told The Hartford Courant they don’t expect Bueckers’ injury to endanger her career — and therefore her future WNBA salary potential. But could it affect her NIL deals?

According to an NCAA rule, the answer should be no.

• The rule prohibits “compensation for athletic participation or achievement.”
• It continues: “athletic performance may enhance a student-athlete’s NIL value, but athletic performance may not be the ‘consideration’ for NIL compensation.”
• Therefore, it would be against NCAA rules for a company to put a stipulation in an athlete’s contract that would lower or dissolve the deal if a player gets hurt.

“Paige is part of our Gatorade Family — we’re here to support her recovery in any way we can and look forward to her return on the court,” Gatorade, one of Bueckers’ sponsors, said in a statement to FOS. 

StockX, Bueckers’ other partner, told FOS in part: “Our commitment to Paige extends well beyond the court. Our partnerships are based on the alignment of our values and visions, not on an athlete’s ability to play. We wish her a speedy recovery.”

Because of the NCAA’s rule, current deals can’t be nullified because of injury. And as StockX pointed out, an athlete wouldn’t automatically lose their marketability, either.

That could mean everything to athletes who suffer season-ending injuries — or receive career-ending diagnoses.

If they have pro potential, their draft stock could severely decrease, or disappear altogether. But they won’t lose their NIL deals.

• Take Miami quarterback D’Eriq King, for example, who hit the ground running with deals, like a co-founder title at Dreamfield and a partnership with the Florida Panthers.
• A few weeks into the season, King suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. But he didn’t lose his social media following or the personal characteristics that enticed some brands to work with him.
• And if King can make a comeback, that would likely only improve his marketability in the eyes of potential sponsors.

In this sense, NIL ensures athletes can make at least some money no matter what happens in the future. And that can’t be taken away. 

Athletes could even sign new deals while hurt — there’s nothing stopping them from inking partnerships while rehabbing. 

As experts have previously told FOS, it’s the athlete’s brand that counts.