Gordon McKernan Teams Up for NIL Athletic Sponsorships

Since July 2021, the NCAA has suspended its previous name, image, and likeness (NIL) policy forbidding student athletes from entering deals with businesses. This means that local and national brands can enter endorsement deals with some of the most exciting athletes in sports today. Louisiana universities, like LSU, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Louisiana Tech have embraced this shift in the student-athlete landscape.

As a life-long Louisiana collegiate sports fan, Gordon McKernan was elated to learn about this new opportunity, and entered into the first deal of its kind with Alexis Morris, the point guard of the LSU Women’s Basketball team. Gordon is excited to help some of the best athletic talent Louisiana has to offer with these deals. Soon after signing with Alexis, Gordon found his second NIL athlete, Kayshon Boutte, and quickly found dozens more. Gordon McKernan knows that #Your Team Matters, which is why he’s adding more student-athletes to his team of sponsorships!

Building Athletic Relationships

NIL deals are a great way for student athletes to take ownership of their likeness and brand, which gives them agency over their collegiate and professional futures. Gordon McKernan is dedicated to helping Louisiana student athletes live up to their full potential, which is why he’s actively meeting with college football players, basketball players, baseball players, track stars, and more to strike new NIL deals!

By forging NIL deals with Louisiana’s student athlete population, Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys is able to support the talent in athletic departments across the state by sponsoring elite athletes. We also help sponsored athletes achieve their academic and professional aspirations and grow their personal brands on social media and across the web.

NIL sponsorships are also a great way for Gordon McKernan to teach the life and business skills he’s gathered over his career on to these young athletes. He told WBRZ, “Trying to get these student athletes to think about the long term and their future before all the money comes in is a big thing. I hope that myself and other businessmen who I know are coming along will involve themselves in that process.” 

Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys is proud to be an early-mover in this space. We’ve already struck deals with dozens of students across Louisiana colleges, following our first two students: Alexis Morris and Kayshon Boutte! We’re also running giveaways and signing events with the student-athletes we sponsor, for community goodwill and sweet prizes for fans!

Gordon’s Plans for the NIL Future

When asked about his plans for further potential sponsorships, Gordon McKernan was clear: “I think there’s a lot of value for helping a student athlete and at the same time helping our company, so we’re going to … do it across multiple sports,” he told WBRZ. We look forward to helping the LSU community in the long-term, generating goodwill both for these athletes and for the Gordon McKernan firm.

Gordon McKernan also encourages other local business owners to take advantage of the new NIL rules. Entering in a name, image, and likeness deal is a great way for potential sponsors to make a personal connection with a college athlete and boost their business with local customers, too. Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys are excited for what the future of NIL deals brings, to college sports and to Baton Rouge!

The fact of the matter is, name, image, and likeness deals are most likely here to stay. While the NCAA is meeting later this year to “review how NIL policies … have affected athletes,” many states are taking the rules into their own hands, including Louisiana. 

Senate Bill 250, filed late February by Senator Patrick Connick of Monroe, is set to repeal the current, unintentionally-strict Louisiana NIL law currently in place. If SB 250 passes, local businesses like Gordon McKernan Injury Lawyers will have an even greater opportunity to make sponsorship deals and support the team we love.

More are in the works!

We’re excited to have a helping hand in these students’ academic and athletic careers, and we’re proud of how well Louisiana universities perform on the national stage. We can’t wait to watch these athletes become incredible professional performers, business people, or even philanthropists, using the skills and assistance we’ve been able to provide for them. These NIL deals are simply another way Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys give back to our community. Check out Gordon Gives to see even more!