Zach Edey Has ‘Lost Out On A Lot Of Money’ Thanks To NIL Laws
In the past two years, Zach Edey has collected countless accolades, and he just led the Purdue Boilermakers to the National Championship game. The 7-foot-4 center should be rolling in NIL money.
But he's not. In fact, he can't.
Edey is a Canadian citizen, and he's attending Purdue on an F-1 student visa. Legally, he's not allowed to profit through NIL opportunities that take place on American soil.
"I obviously have lost out on a lot of money this year," Edey said Friday at the Final Four.
(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
That's putting it mildly.
If he were a U.S. citizen, the two-time AP Player of the Year would undoubtedly be one of the top earners in men's college basketball. He might not be making Bronny James money ($4.9 million), but he'd potentially be up there with the rest of the top-5 — including Duke's Jared McClain ($1.4 million), Austin Peay's Hansel Enmanuel ($1.2 million) and Kentucky's Robert Dillingham ($1.1 million).
Purdue's Tournament Run Would Have Made Zach Edey Loads Of Money
Take NC State's DJ Burns, for example. His agent, Ken Caldwell, told On3 that Burns has earned "well into six figures" just in the last three weeks. Burns has recently inked deals with adidas, Barstool Sports, CVS Pharmacy, Daps, Manscaped, Raising Cane's and Intuit Turbotax — all thanks to his exposure during March Madness.
(Getty Images)
Edey said he hopes the law will eventually be revised so that international players will be able to make a profit while in the States.
"It needs to change, for sure," Edey said. "I hope they change it in the future. I mean, obviously, I’ve lost out on a lot of money this year. But I understand the legal process can take a while. It’s not like it’s an NCAA rule, it’s an American law. … But I think it needs to be changed."
For now, Edey can do NIL deals in Canada or overseas, but the marketing opportunities for an American college basketball player there are limited. He also gets some crumbs from jersey sales and trading cards. But, "it’s not like I can go film a commercial in West Lafayette," he noted.
RELATED: UConn Coach Dan Hurley Has Refreshing NIL Take: 'Win For Our Donors?'
The bright side (if there is one) is that without the distraction of filming commercials and making sponsored social media posts, Purdue's big man can focus on basketball.
"I kinda just try to stay out of that, for the most part," Edey said. "I let my agents deal with that. I’m a basketball player at the end of the day. So, that’s really what I’m focused on, especially when I can’t even make the NIL deals. I don’t even want to hear about them."
Zach Edey had 20 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocked shots in Purdue's Final Four win over NC State on Saturday. He'll look to close out his collegiate career with a National Championship on Monday against UConn.
READ: Purdue And Zach Edey Too Tall For North 'Cinderella' State At Final Four
Edey is largely projected as a late-first round, early-second round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Then, he can start making real money.