Before NIL was a rule, Deion Sanders Jr. was already trying to live by it. And the person who showed him the way was Justin Combs, son of Sean Combs.

Sanders Jr. opened up about this on the Mr_Organik podcast on May 22, revealing how a conversation with Justin Combs changed everything for him while he was playing college football at SMU.

"I asked Diddy's [Sean Combs] son, Justin Combs, because I would see him host clubs," Sanders Jr. said. "I'm like, 'Bro, how are you allowed to have your picture on a flyer and you at UCLA?'"

Deion Sanders' eldest son, Deion Jr., aka Bucky, played as a wide receiver at SMU between 2013 and 2015. It was seven years ago when the NCAA NIL rules changed in 2021. Back then, college athletes were not allowed to profit from their fame, endorsements, or personal brands while playing college sports.

Justin Combs told him the key was making a simple argument to the NCAA. His name and brand existed before he ever set foot on campus. The school had nothing to do with building it.

That conversation was all Sanders Jr. needed. He went straight to his compliance department at SMU and made the same case to the NCAA.

"I went to the compliance people. I was like, 'Bro, we need to say this to the NCAA,'" he said. "'SMU's not helping me be him. So let's send that in.'"

The NCAA agreed. He was granted full clearance to continue profiting from his name, image, and likeness while still in college, making him one of the earliest college athletes to do so officially.

How Sanders Jr.’s Well Off Media Turned Colorado Football Into a Recruiting Machine

Deion Sanders Jr.'s college football career was limited while his brothers, Shedeur and Shilo, continued playing for Jackson State and Colorado later. However, Deion Jr. transitioned to managing things behind the camera.

Using a video camera and social media, he began building an audience for Colorado football with daily behind-the-scenes access to players and coaches in the Well Off Media YouTube channel.

“We try to flood the market,” Deion Sanders said on one of his son’s videos, referring to the strategy of constantly pushing content across social media to keep Colorado in the public eye.

Well Off Media rocketed from around 80,000 subscribers to 250,000 in just weeks after Sanders arrived in Colorado. Colorado’s total social media following also jumped 500% since his hiring, as reported by USA Today.

Recruiting targets were watching too. Sanders Jr. knew this because they told him directly when they visited campus with their sons.

“Ninety-nine percent of them told me, ‘Hey man, we watch the videos every day,'” Deion Sanders Jr. said.

What do you think about Deion Sanders Jr's role in shaping the NIL movement? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at Michigan Football Community.

Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar