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Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz explains top priority with NIL: Don’t let it become a distraction
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The NIL agreements have been a hot topic of discussion ever since they got approved by the NCAA and that continued today in Madison.
Badgers starting quarterback Graham Mertz spoke about his top priority with a NIL for him after Wisconsin had its media day.
“Obviously, it’s a new area that nobody really understands, truly. For me, my biggest thing was, I wanted to have all the things in the background set up ahead of time,” Mertz said in a video from Alex Strouf of ESPN Madison. “Where we’re gonna go with our website and stuff like that. My dad and my family have done a great job of taking that off my plate, so I can focus on what’s going on around here. It’s great to make some money off of it but I can’t let it be a distraction at all.”
Asked #Badgers QB Graham Mertz about his off-season and being at the forefront of the new NLI rules. Nice follow-up by @JimPolzinWSJ on if it’s a distraction. pic.twitter.com/NCEDMJMkpC
— Alex Strouf (@alex_strouf) August 5, 2021
Earlier in the offseason, Mertz announced an exclusive memorabilia partnership with Panini America and it came not even a month after the NCAA changed their policy. He was one of the first players in the conference to announce one.
Mertz was also one of the first players in college football to release a brand logo and trademark before NIL took effect.
There have also been other players to announce deals as well, such as Matt Corral of Ole Miss, and D’eriq King of Miami, and many more. We’ll have to see if they share the same thoughts as Mertz does if they’re asked about it.