Olympic Silver Medalist Erica Sullivan Signs with IHC Sports to Manage NIL Rights
Erica Sullivan, the silver medalist in the women’s 1500 freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics, this week signed a deal with IHC Sports to handle her name, image and likeness (NIL) rights.
Sullivan announced the deal via her social media channels.
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“I am very excited to announce that I will be working with IHC Sports to follow all my NIL contracts within NCAA rules and build my image,” Sullivan said. “Excited for what the future hold and forever feeling grateful.”
The IHC firm, whose name stands for “Integrity, Honesty and Commitment,” has offices in Cleveland and Orange County, Calif. Among its clients are a number of NFL players, for whom the agency serves as player agents in the more traditional sense.
Deals like this are likely to become increasingly commonplace, particularly for Olympic athletes, given new NCAA rules allowing athletes to profit off their NIL. Already, a number of college or college-bound swimmers – including Torri Huske, David Curtiss and Regan Smith – have signed sponsorship agreements with swimming apparel companies. In the past, those types of sponsorships were only available to professional athletes and came at the cost of NCAA eligibility.
Sullivan’s partnership is with an eye toward a vaster use of her NIL. The 21-year-old, who has three times deferred her college enrollment and originally committed to the University of Southern California, is set to begin her college career at the University of Texas. She has already used her growing internet notoriety to bring attention to causes, such as LGBTQ rights and metal health awareness, that she’s passionate about. Among them was taking part in a Procter & Gamble panel for the Athletes for Good Fund.