For the second time in Emerson College’s history, student-athletes will have a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal.
Beginning in January, all 24 Emerson men’s lacrosse players will start an NIL deal with Dave’s Hot Chicken. The players will receive one free meal every week of the semester along with Dave’s Hot Chicken merchandise, including a bandana and water bottle.
Earlier this semester, the team had a screening of a documentary highlighting last year’s season. The documentary was in honor of Dan Hollis, an Emerson lacrosse player who died in 2019. Last spring’s team included the last members who played with Hollis in their time at Emerson.
After his death, the lacrosse team has continued to honor his legacy by retiring his #27 jersey and dedicating one game a year as the Annual Dan Hollis Game, encouraging fans to donate to the Daniel J. Hollis Foundation.
Senior midfielder and sports communication major Grant Wilson was the driving force behind the new NIL deal. The team arranged for Dave’s to cater the event, and Dave’s expressed an interest in supporting the lacrosse team in the future. Wilson talked to managers at Dave’s Boston branch on Stuart Street, only a block away from Emerson’s campus, and the dream of an NIL deal was born.
NIL deals can only be between an individual athlete and a company, not a whole team. Wilson started working on a contract that each men’s lacrosse player could sign with Dave’s.
“I might have 1,000 followers on Instagram,” Wilson said in an interview with The Beacon. “Why settle for that when we could do a copy-paste NIL deal for everybody on our team? Now you’re reaching 20,000 people instead of just 1,000. You’re outreaching to more people [at Emerson]. Dave’s loved the idea.”
From there, Wilson researched NIL deals and reached out to Emerson lacrosse alum Austin Franklin, who signed his own NIL deal with Archie’s New York Deli in 2022. Wilson used Franklin’s draft as a stepping stone for the new deal with Dave’s.
Wilson consulted with the men’s lacrosse head coach Matthew Colombini and Senior Associate Director of Athletics Erin Brennen to ensure he was following NCAA rules.
“A lot of times people think of NIL as the big Division I basketball, football, it’s millions of dollars and really complicated,” Colombini said in an interview. “But it really can be something as simple as ‘I’ll put you on my social media’ and that’s a good network for Dave’s as a national chain to reach the local Emerson community.”
And it is that simple. According to Wilson, the players who signed the deal will post weekly about Dave’s Hot Chicken to receive their free meals. Dave’s will also hang a banner at Rotch Field where the team plays their home games.
“Any opportunity our students have to advocate for themselves and to get recognition, they should absolutely do it,” said Brennen. “I think it’s really special [Wilson] used this deal to keep Dan Hollis’ memory alive.”
It was a priority of Wilson’s to make this a three-way deal—with the team, Dave’s, and the Dan Hollis Foundation. Emerson sports fans can also get in on the action at Dave’s.
On home game days, the Emerson men’s lacrosse players will post on Instagram promoting the game, mentioning Dave’s as a sponsor and highlighting the Dan Hollis Foundation. This post can be used at the Stuart Street location to donate to the foundation.
“If anybody goes to Dave’s on the day of our home game and shows them the Instagram graphic,” Wilson said. “20% of the proceeds will go to the Dan Hollis Foundation. That way, we can continue to support the foundation through our deal.”
