June 7, 2022, CLEMSON, S.C. /PRNewswire/ — Now that TigerImpact has 16 student-athletes under contract, it is one of the first NIL collectives in the nation to have men and women participating in every sport offered by Clemson University. The mission-driven group has helped close 28 agreements with student-athletes so far. These athletes serve as captains for TigerImpact, a group that works to increase the effect of local charitiesBobby Couch, the executive director of TigerImpact, stated,
“We are excited to expand our group of student-athletes across all Clemson sports to support worthy charitable organizations.” “This is the first step toward our goal of bringing the program to all 524 student-athletes at Clemson, enabling them to use their name, likeness, and image to positively impact the lives of others.” We want everyone who wants to be a part of this significant project to know that they are welcome and that contributing to the community can significantly improve their experience as a student-athlete.”
Football player Will Shipley, one of TigerImpact’s captains, recently paid a personal check for $10,000 to help the Charlotte facility while visiting with patients at Levine Children’s Hospital. Men’s soccer player Isaiah Reid, another captain, paid a personal check presentation and played with program participants at his charity, The Boys and Girls Club of York County.
“Student-athletes involved in TigerImpact embody the compassionate ethos at Clemson and are leaders within their teams. TigerImpact is all about Will and Isaiah’s unselfish examples,” Couch went on. “Their community work through TigerImpact shows how student-athletes can prepare to be socially responsible citizens long after they leave Clemson.”
TigerImpact uses money contributed by Clemson supporters and alumni to pay student-athletes to collaborate with local nonprofits and promote their platforms on social media and in other public settings. Depending on their interests, athletes are paired with partner charity and receive invaluable experience that will further their Clemson education.
TigerImpact, which was founded in April 2022 by former Clemson football players Rich Davies, Kendall Alley, and Kevin Gemas, has received support from spectators, local authorities, and past athletes. To date, the organization has matched student-athletes with over 150 organizations.
Davies had a talk with Bella Attisso, a cancer survivor who founded NShelter, a nonprofit in Seneca that offers support to families dealing with cancer, and that interaction gave rise to the concept for the collective. Davies imagined the impact a student-athlete with a sizable social media following could have on Attisso’s business. Valerie Cagle, a softball player for Clemson, is currently using TigerImpact to further NShelter’s goal.
When NIL was implemented throughout the NCAA, Davies, Alley, and Gemas made it possible to pair student athletes with organizations in order to make a difference.
