Tom Brady Brings On Jackson State Sensation Shedeur Sanders To Rep Brady Brand

Tom Brady officially unveiled his apparel company called Brady Brand earlier this year in January. When I spoke to Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champ, he was not shy about the fact that his new concern would be a little different in its marketing.

At the time, he said of his approach to the new venture: “I’ve been on multiple teams with the best coaches, players, and role models—guys I’ve looked up to for inspiration and determination. And I’ve learned you don’t accomplish anything as an individual.”

In addition to being a team player and stating that he planned to listen to and learn from his business partners, namely founding partner Jens Grede and chief designer Dao-Yi Chow, he wanted Brady Brand to showcase up-and-coming athletes. Moreover, Brady Brand, he said, planned to depart from the prevalent practice of using established, multi-million dollar names as pitchmen.

Among the brand’s first athlete ambassadors this year are Coastal Carolina University quarterback Grayson McCall, plus University of Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara and University of Michigan tennis player Andrew Fenty, among others.

And this week, the apparel brand unveiled Jackson State University quarterback Shedeur Sanders as the newest face of Brady Brand.

Related story: Tom Brady unveils his namesake apparel brand

Sanders, a 6-foot-2 sophomore starter led the JSU Tigers to a SWAC Championship as a freshman in 2021 and became the first HBCU athlete to win the Jerry Rice Award.

The son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Shedeur also made headlines after his decision to decommit from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and instead attend JSU, in support of HBCUs. FAU is also a member of NCAA Division I FBS and Conference USA.

Brady himself was ecstatic at the prospect of bringing on the athlete, who he considers a future football star.

“Shedeur Sanders is the perfect ambassador for Brady (Brand),” said Brady, in a prepared statement last week, after the announcement. Sanders, the 45-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback added, “embodies everything we look for in an athlete, and his character and values align perfectly with our brand.”

Related story: “Neon” Deion Sanders loves country living

The young Sanders echoed his satisfaction with the move to sign on with the brand and arguably the game’s greatest quarterback.

“I’m so excited to work with the Brady team. Tom has been a longtime mentor to me, both on and off the field,” Sanders said, “and I’ve been a fan of his apparel brand since its inception. So this partnership feels like a natural next step.”

Not just hawking outfits

Brady Brand also points out that Sanders is not just a fashion model for the brand, but will be as closely involved as the other athlete ambassadors they have brought on.

“Shedeur will (have) input on everything from product development to wear testing and will be outfitted in Brady clothing for his upcoming games and throughout the Fall season,” the company said. Sanders, they added, would be seen wearing the brand’s Gridflex, Regenerate, and Seamless Performaknit collections, for his first official campaign as a brand ambassador.

The concept of college athletes as brand ambassadors and paid endorsers has increasingly become the norm in the past two years. More importantly, as NIL becomes a bigger part of sports business, promising athletes are being snapped up both by seasoned entrepreneurs and legends of sport.

This summer, Forbes reported that tennis star and four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka signed five female athletes to join her firm Kinlò to represent and promote them in NIL deals. Meanwhile, Bumble, the social media firm that first emerged as a dating app, has expanded into the same space by signing 50 female college athletes to join the fold.

So far this season, Sanders and Jackson State continue to be a force in college football. The Tigers are undefeated at 6-0 and have posted double-digit wins in each of their games this season.

Read Frye’s interviews with Tom Brady and Deion Sanders.

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