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CHAMPAIGN — Edgar Padilla Jr. is still in shock.
A few days ago, he was an under-the-radar college athlete. On Thursday, he became the first current University of Illinois athlete to profit off of their name, image and likeness (NIL).
"I was actually showering and after I got out of the shower, I heard the ring that I got a (direct message). I was like, 'Hmmm, who DMed me?' I thought it was probably one of my friends or something," Padilla said via a phone call from his homeland of Puerto Rico shortly after midnight Thursday. "But when I saw (the message) I was like, 'There's no way! Like, is this real?'"
The message Padilla, a sophomore Illinois men's basketball player, found himself looking at earlier this week came from Six Star Pro Nutrition, a company known for its workout supplements.
Six Star Pro Nutrition wanted to partner with Padilla and pay him to advertise their product, a business venture that just became possible Thursday.
"I don't even have the words to explain (how I feel)," Padilla said. "This is literally history."
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 2338, also known as the Student-Athlete Endorsement Rights Act, into law Tuesday. This new legislation, which went into effect Thursday, allows college athletes in Illinois to make money off of their NIL.
The NCAA followed suit Wednesday by implementing an interim NIL policy for all 50 states that began Thursday, too. Athletes who are competing in states that already have their own NIL laws in place (like Illinois) have been instructed to follow their state-specific guidelines, per the NCAA.
Padilla said he never expected to be the first Illini athlete cashing in. He was a walk-on guard last season and appeared in just six games.
So, why did Six Star Pro Nutrition choose Padilla — a player who has only received nine minutes of college action?
The answer lies in Padilla's lineage.
"Edgar's father (Edgar Sr.) and uncle (Giddle) were part of Massachusetts' 1996 National Semifinal team that had their appearance vacated because a player accepted money from an agent," Six Star Pro Nutrition tweeted Thursday.
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The former player the company is referring to is Marcus Camby. According to a 1997 article from the...