Weber State NIL group sets football kickoff event with 17 players, food, more
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- Weber State receiver Jacob Sharp speaks to students at Highland Junior High on April 25, 2024, in Ogden.
Purple Dub Club co-founder Tom Lakey hopes next week’s football kickoff event will open a strong second year for the Weber State NIL collective.
“I think we’re doing some cool stuff this year,” Lakey said. “Last year was just about getting our feet wet.”
The all-volunteer entity organized to help Weber State athletes capitalize on their name, image and likeness rights begins the 2024-25 school year with a football kickoff dinner Thursday, Aug. 22, at Goldenwest Credit Union’s new headquarters building (5151 S. 400 East, Washington Terrace). The event is scheduled from 6-8 p.m.
Lakey said fans are invited to join the 17 football players and two coaches scheduled to attend for pizza, door prizes, autograph and photo opportunities, and a memorabilia auction.
Available to the first 200 fans, admission is $15 for adults and $10 for kids; tickets are available online at purpledubclub.org and, if still available, at the door.
“We booked a big venue, so we’d love to fill it up,” Lakey said.
The roster of 17 players at this event is a big step; Lakey said the collective organized events and fees for 19 WSU athletes last school year.
Purple Dub Club hosts events like this about once per quarter (dinners and tailgates in the first year), plus organizes volunteer school visits for athletes to speak with kids. For this dinner, Goldenwest donated the event space so all proceeds can go to the players and fund future events and service projects.
While the Wildcat Club and Gridiron Club help Weber State fund scholarships and other projects to boost athletic programs, Lakey says Purple Dub Club’s purpose is different, and two-fold.
First, fan support helps put modest amounts of money in the pockets of players to help make ends meet in their demanding schedules (for an event like this, that’s paid through an appearance fee). Second, it’s an opportunity for supporters to get to know the players as people, build a stronger community around the athletes and grow excitement within the fanbase.
“For fans who buy tickets to attend the events or people sponsoring us, there’s a lot of opportunities to build ties with the athletes, experiences that we weren’t getting other ways,” Lakey said. “The opportunity to spend two hours with Dillon Jones, having him talk with their kids on their level, that’s just not something you’re getting very many places.”
Head coach Mickey Mental and co-defensive coordinator Grant Duff are scheduled to appear with a players evenly split on offense (Damon Bankston, Terrance Caldwell, Richie Muñoz, Keayen Nead, Gavin Ortega, Jacob Sharp, Vae Soifua, Lavaka Taukeiaho) and defense (Garrett Beck, Steven Bryant, Matt Herron, Tre Parks-Vinson, Jalon Rock, Raimoana Tinirauarii, Trevian Tribble, Brayden Wilson).
New punter Oscar Doyle, as an international player from Australia, asked to volunteer to help the event despite rules prohibiting him from taking NIL payments.
Lakey said there will be a limited selection of items available to purchase for autograph seekers but fans should plan to bring their own items for autographs.
Items available in the auction include memorabilia from Weber State alums like Damian Lillard, Taron Johnson, Jamie Martin, Rashid Shaheed, Winston Reid, Sua Opeta and more, Lakey said.