This Athlete’s Reward For A Silver Medal At The Olympics? His Sponsor Dropped Him

Coming off the best year of his track and field career—not to mention the best individual performance of his life—Daniel Roberts thought he had proved his worth in a contract year.

The Greensboro, North Carolina-based professional track and field athlete was already on an option-year for Nike, which followed a successful four-year term after he secured his first major medal at a world competition in 2023.

But at the end of August last year, with his contract needing to be renegotiated, Roberts was at a critical juncture.

Luckily, his success spoke for itself. He didn’t disappoint over the 2024 Olympic cycle, clocking a career-best 12.96 seconds for the 110 meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials, which later led to a career-defining silver medal at the Paris Olympics just over a month later. He finished the year with the third-best 110 meter hurdles time in the world.

Nike could have extended him another option year.

But for Roberts, who had turned 27 that November, he was also hoping they wouldn’t, because it would leave the door open for his agency, Astra Partners, to negotiate a better deal with terms representative of his world-class performance in the sport.

Instead, Nike dropped him entirely.

“Definitely did not play out how we wanted it to play out,” he said.

Nike Drops Successful Track And Field Athlete After Olympic Medal

Roberts did not disclose the binding terms for which he and his agency requested from Nike, but that is no surprise, either. Contracts for professional track and field athletes are often guarded in secrecy, only discussed – or understood fully – in circles wherein agencies can use whatever leverage they have to advocate for their clients.

Roberts said track and field contracts are typically devised around four- or five-year blocks, accounting for concluding years within an Olympic or World Championship cycle.

And the snub left him confused.

With four to five really good years left in his legs, Roberts knows he can achieve more and continue to compete for medals at the world and Olympic level. He knows he can break 13 seconds again and be on the level of anyone in the world.

So what details, exactly, were at odds during contract renegotiations?

“When you turn pro, the first thing you hear from agents or coaches or anything is, they say the most important thing is to make teams,” Roberts said. “And I’ve done that every single year since I’ve been a pro.”

“Definitely did not play out how we wanted it to play out.”

Daniel Roberts’ Path As A Professional Track And Field Athlete

Roberts certianly had the receipts. After a Hall-of-Fame-type career at the University of Kentucky, wherein he earned back-to-back NCAA silver medals indoors and outdoors in 2019, he won a U.S. Championship just a few months later, qualifying for his first world team.

In 2021, Roberts made his first Olympic team headed to Tokyo during the COVID year, and then made his next in 2022. Over those first three years, however, little mistakes hampered his outcomes, leading to zero appearances in a final.

But in 2023, knowing the stakes were high and his contract was on the line, he won the U.S. Championships again and performed excellently at worlds, securing that third-place finish in 13.09. He also competed a total of 17 times on the season, earning a fair amount of prize money in the process.

Last year, Roberts won the first two men’s 110 meter hurdle races on the Diamond League circuit in China, traveled to Jamaica and scored another win, finished second at the Prefontaine Classic and then was in absolute command at the U.S. Olympic Trials, securing a third-place outing in the final with a career-best time of 12.96 seconds.

Roberts competed often, won often and was among the world’s best. What was he missing? Did he not have a big enough social media following? Roberts’ Instagram carries 23K followers.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” said Roberts, who added that his contract was reduced in his early years. “I was definitely very much confused. I’m starting to find a rhythm. The results are there. I’m kind of expecting good things on the contract side, the financial side. It didn’t turn out that way. Any pro, any young athlete in the sport, we’re told: ‘Get medals. Make teams.’ I’ve done that over my six years as a pro.”

Daniel Roberts Finds The Courage To Speak Up About His Contract Situation

That idea was percolating in his mind when he saw an Instagram post from Olympic and world champion Justin Gatlin in June. Writing in the description of a post referring to a recent contract announcement from collegian and NCAA 100 meter champion Jordan Anthony, Gatlin wrote: “Contract rules 101: Your performances got you notice … Contract money is based on your “Future Potential.” Sponsors invested in what you can do not what you did …SO STAY HOT & GET YOUR BAG!”

Roberts took issue with that assessment.

“I would agree with this for the most part,” Roberts wrote. “Only thing I would push back on because of my personal situation right now would be the fact that these brands are about marketing above everything else. …Coming off the best year of my life, winning a silver medal at my second olympics and running sub 13 for the first time, I’ve been dropped from my sponsor and had to live off grants and prize money for the past six months.”

Roberts didn’t compete this indoor cycle, he said, because he was waiting for his contract terms to get finalized.

He finally opened in April, but perhaps only because so much money was on the line: He ran in two Grand Slam Track races in Jamaica and Miami, earning a total of $45,000 in prize money after finishing fourth and fifth in the men’s short hurdle series. The USATF also offers an elite athlete development grant program to help professionals continue on in their professional journeys.

Roberts, who is married and someday wants to build a family of his own, knows his career will go on.

“I’m kind of expecting good things on the contract side, the financial side. It didn’t turn out that way. Any pro, any young athlete in the sport, we’re told: ‘Get medals. Make teams.’ I’ve done that over my six years as a pro.”

The Future Ahead For Daniel Roberts In Track And Field

Coached by revered hurdle coach Allen Johnson, the director of track and field at North Carolina A&T, Roberts continues to work toward this next cycle and navigate a minor injury with his achilles.

“We’ve talked to a couple different brands,” Roberts said. “We’re trying to see where they are at and what they want and go from there.”

But the recent sting of his first major financial setback leaves him wondering about the future of the sport. He says his primary objectives with a new sponsor will be to find an organization that aligns with his values and beliefs.

“I need someone who’s going to believe in me and treat me like a person. Like as a family, someone who cares and wants the best for me,” he said. “And not just want me to be with them when I’m at the podium.”

With an important qualifying window heading his way in July, Roberts heads toward his next objective: Making another U.S. team.

Contract or not.