Oregon star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is one of many NCAA athletes cashing in on the new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policies that went into effect this summer. Last week, it was reported Thibodeaux launched his own cryptocurrency.
Not everyone is fan of student-athletes being given the chance to earn money while in college. The Thibodeaux news was announced at a time when the Oregon star, whom many experts believe could be the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft, was battling a sprained ankle that cost him the opportunity to play in the Ducks’ upset of Ohio State last month.
Thidodeaux recently responded to the critics of his NIL platform. Thibodeaux launched his own cryptocurrency, $JREAM, last week, according to EPSN’s Kyle Bonagura.
The coin is expected to start at a price of less than $1, with roughly 100,000 coins in circulation at launch, according to Bonagura. The coin is to be exclusively traded on Rally, a platform geared for individuals to build their own digital economies.
“I feel like crypto is such a new space and having an athlete involve in it kind of changes the dynamic of how athletes are viewed,” Thibodeaux told Bonagura. “I started looking at crypto in high school and seeing the future in crypto and how far it can go, this was the next step in starting my future.”
