By Ben Rekosh
RICHMOND, Va. -- Havoc Unlimited , the official Name, Image, and Likeness collective of Virginia Commonwealth University athletics recently celebrated its first birthday, after a year full of growth, according to Executive Director and co-Founder Rodney Ashby.
The goal of the program is to fairly compensate student-athletes for what they deserve by connecting them with local entities within the Richmond community, according to Ashby.
Havoc Unlimited has done deals with Honda, Vita-Pure, Planet Fitness, Synergy Technical, and more in the local area. Over the 2023-24 season, the VCU men’s and women’s basketball teams have completed deals that are cumulative of well into the six-figure range, according to Ashby.
The organization started as a non-profit, however due to inadvertently losing over $100,000 in donations by an IRS technicality, it was forced to transition to functioning as an independent business, Ashby said.
There has been a strong emphasis on the importance of having an NIL entity exist at VCU, while not becoming overly reliant on having to pay student-athletes.
The opportunity for young people to receive a scholarship towards high-level education is still valuable as well, said Ed McLaughlin, director of athletics.
Ashby, a former player for VCU men’s basketball, spearheaded the idea of getting the collective underway, he said.
“They realized that’s really how we’re going to maintain our competitiveness,” Ashby said of the response by McLaughlin, and Noah Strebler, senior associate athletics director for student services & NIL, when he approached them with the concept.
Being able to help the community and inspire people in need is important, according to Zeb Jackson, senior point guard and captain for VCU men’s basketball.
The activities provided through NIL give him a new perspective on his surroundings, he said.
As a vocal leader on and off the basketball court, Jackson encourages his teammates to join him for the activities, he said.
“Everyone’s just open to listen,” Jackson said of the togetherness of this year’s team and its coaching staff.
Through the first year of business, Ashby noted that it’s been more of a struggle to get as much support from individuals in the community as he’d hoped.
“I think when we started it we did feel like there would probably get a little more support financially from different people,” Ashby said.
Men’s and women’s basketball were the first programs that Havoc Unlimited worked with, but they’ve progressed on agreements with soccer, lacrosse, and golf, according to Ashby.
Keeping equitability throughout all sports, but especially across men and women is vital for VCU, according to McLaughlin.
One of the most complex aspects of the NIL landscape has been the variance in state legislatures surrounding the topic of student-athlete compensation, on top of the loose and non-transparent nature of the NCAA, according to Strebler.
That falls into the lap of Noah Strebler, who tags himself as the guidance between the athletic department and Havoc Unlimited to make sure they follow NCAA rules with regards to not crossing any boundaries in NIL transactions.
“Piecemeal regulation” is what Strebler described as the current status of NIL across states.
The next steps are believed to be some sort of federal regulation, either from Congress or the NCAA, according to Strebler.
“I love VCU," Ashby said. “That’s why I do it.”
Ashby hopes that in year two the board will be able to find a person that fits to run the operations of the collective full-time, as Ashby has other timely commitments.
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