Sun Angel NIL collective reaches goal of $1 million at launch to support ASU athletes

Better late than never.

Arizona State finally has an NIL collective in place that should allow it to compete with other schools that have launched similar campaigns designed to allow student athletes to get paid for their name, image or likeness.

The undertaking is dubbed the Sun Angel Collective, an ode to the original name of the Sun Devil Club, which was known as the Sun Angel Foundation for 60 years from 1947-2007. The logo, which combines the pitchfork and a halo pays homage to Sun Devil supporters of the past and present.

"It's really nice to have this up and running," said Jeff Burg, president of the Sun Angel Collective and one of five founding board members. "It's been a long process and we're happy to be able to really get it out there and let people know about it."

Burg said that the group had a goal of raising $1 million by Tuesday's launch and they were able to reach that goal. Now the focus is on building on that progress.

Burg is joined on the collectives Board of Directors  by John Dorsey, Scott Harkey, Chris Michaels, and Mike Olsen, all of whom are current or former Sun Devil Club Board Members.

There is also an advisory board of former players that includes Jake Plummer, Brock Osweiler, Omar Bolden and Jordan Simone. Additional members are expected to be named to each in the near future.

"The advisory board is made up of former players because there the ones that have been there in the locker rooms and they have a unique perspective the rest of us don't. They can give us guidance on things they think are needed because we haven't been in their place," Burg said.

Burg said the money for the collective is divided up into three "buckets." The first is for broad areas of need that would benefit the team. One example of that might be a year-long campus parking pass for players, many of whom have gotten tickets for simply parking during practice.

The second bucket is for "attracting top talent," money that can be used to generate deals for elite players they'd like to keep or bring in.

Then the third bucket would be to "reward loyalty," benefiting players who have been in the program for multiple years and demonstrated leadership qualities on and off the field.

Sun Devil enthusiasts can get involved in supporting ASU student-athletes by joining the Sun Angel Collective through a one-time donation or through  a monthly subscription program.

Membership in The Sun Angel Collective includes access to exclusive benefits, including member events, opportunities to participate in meet and greets with student athletes and official Sun Angel Collective merchandise. Brands looking to partner with student-athletes and donors who wish to make larger one-time donations or multi-year gifts should reach out to the Collective directly.

The Collective has filed an application with the Internal Revenue Service to operate as a 501(c)(3) public charity, thereby making contributions to the Collective tax deductible, if approved.

In doing that the collective can set up athletes with causes they might feel strongly about whether its working at a food bank or animal rescue. The athlete would work the designated hours there, then once they provide documentation that the work is done, they would get paid.

Burg acknowledges that a good portion of the ASU faithful is not happy with the direction of the program, which is currently under NCAA investigation into recruiting violations. President Michael Crow and Athletic Director Ray Anderson have come under fire for keeping head coach Herm Edwards while five assistant coaches under Edwards quit or were fired because of the allegations.

Burg said when that comes up he simply points out that the collective benefits the student-athletes. He also points out that it is going toward the future of the program.

"At some point there is going to be a new coach and we don't know when that will be," Burg said. "And I just tell them when that time comes the better the collective you have in place, the better the pool of applicants you're going to have for that position  because they're going to have more to work with. That conversation has been successful, at least so far."

The school collectives are run independent of the respective university athletic department and Burg said ASU has been as supportive as it can be within the rules. For example, the school had to give permission for the collective to use the logo and font because it is trademarked.

While the school collectives are one source of NIL deals, individual businesses can work their own deals with individual athletes by reaching out to them on their own. That was the case last year when then-quarterback Jayden Daniels racked up a dozen or so deals, everything from a local car dealership, which provided him a sporty vehicle, to an area pizza joint that named one of their menu items after him.

One such business is State Bicycle, which has provided bicycles to about 25 athletes, the majority of those from the football and men's basketball teams, with the athletes then promoting the product on social media. For those that go in and buy a product and use that athlete's code, some money goes to the student-athlete.

Reza Farsi, who owns and operates the business along with brother Mehdi, said he plans to sponsor athletes from other sports, perhaps baseball and softball, in the spring when their seasons are in session.

Football player Chad Johnson, one of the school's most active users of social media, was one of Farsi's first athletes, along with teammate Isaia Glass and basketball player D.J. Horne. One relative newcomer, basketball player Devan Cambridge, just posted an entry of him leaping over a bike and dunking a basketball, which was filmed in one of the company's warehouses.

"I wish I could do more," said Reza, a big fan of the men's basketball program. "If more businesses step up, it all adds up. What really struck me is how genuine and grateful these athletes were. They weren't just looking for handouts. They really wanted to know, `Hey, how can I help your business.' "

Business are free to connect with athletes on their own but Burg said the Collective can facilitate that as well.

The Collective is partnering with Oncoor Marketing, which will manage the day-to-day operation of the Collective and will utilize the Opendorse NIL platform to ensure that all NIL activities are in compliance with NCAA and university  guidelines. Oncoor and the Collective are currently conducting a search for a full-time executive director who will be responsible for business and donor development and management of the Collective membership program.

For more information, visit sunangels.org or call 877-SUN-ANGEL.

Reach the reporter at Michelle.Gardner@gannett.com or 602 444-4783.  Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sun Angel NIL collective aims to support ASU athletes