With the ability to reach over 50,000 student-athletes across 23 sports and 109 schools, the new NIL program will give eligible student-athletes of all genders the opportunity, directly with adidas, to become paid affiliate brand ambassadors. Launching in four phases over the next 12 months, the network will begin with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Power-5 conference partners in Fall 2022, scaling across all schools by April 2023.

“At adidas, we are committed to creating change through sport and recognize the important role student-athletes play in shaping the future,” said Rupert Campbell, president of adidas North America. “Our groundbreaking NIL program advances our commitments toward building inclusivity in sport and inspires athletes to realize a more equitable world. I can’t wait to see it come to life.”

According to adidas, to illustrate the importance of a more inclusive environment for student-athletes, women’s and men’s teams at March Madness will be seen wearing t-shirts with ‘More Is Possible’ on the front and Title IX passage on the back, along with notable athlete partners who join together to support the program.Ěý

Lucky for her – and for adidas – she achieved that goal with three years to spare.

Hughey, who earned her master’s degree in communication from theĚý, knew she wanted to work in the sport industry. With an emphasis in digital media in sport, she was actively involved withĚýĚýduring her time at UofL.

“We had just joined theĚý, it was right after the Year of the Cardinal, and social media was still so new,” Hughey said. “It was an amazing opportunity to work for the university and get experience with a program that was thriving.”

Upon graduating, a professor connected her with an internship at Team USA in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Two months later, the Kentucky native was hired full-time as the audience engagement editor in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Hughey’s primary responsibility was curating social strategy to maintain a consistent voice across all Team USA messaging. Through this experience, she developed a passion for brand building after helping the organization and its athletes construct their own.

In the midst of the Olympics, she received a phone call fromĚý, an industry-leading executive who was the director of brand marketing for adidas at the time. Hughey, who had been able to network with Darlow as a UofL student, was offered a job on his team as a brand communications manager for U.S. sports.
Soon after the Rio Games concluded, Hughey packed up her Fiat and moved to Portland, Oregon, to fulfill her dream of working at adidas.

Capitalizing on her love of brand building, Hughey was able to create the adidas volleyball brand and signed a deal with USA Volleyball to further promote the sport. Now, she works with all female athletes within U.S. sports and develops strategy for significant brand moments.

“As a bigger brand, we have the support and the resources,” she said. “I spend a lot of time researching and reading to understand who our consumer is to make sure they get the products they ultimately want.”

The job that usually has her on the road the majority of the year has given Hughey even more time to learn because of COVID-19. With major sporting events being canceled or existing purely in bubbles, Hughey has been able to speak with female adidas athletes to ensure they are being treated the way they should be.

“Sport is the platform of how we can create change and make sure we are celebrating females and doing it in an authentic way,” Hughey said. “In the current climate, representation is so important, and a lot of female athletes want to do more.”ĚýKnowing this, she designs campaigns branding adidas content to women of all ages. After pitching her idea at the adidas headquarters in Germany, Hughey and her team implemented anĚýĚýusing Billie Jean King for the 45th anniversary of the pivotalĚýĚýłľ˛ąłŮł¦łó.Ěý

“Bringing light to that and making Billie a relevant catalyst for change for women who want to look up to somebody is empowering,” said Hughey, adding how the most rewarding part of her job is young children seeing powerful female athletes use their platform to tell their story.

Female athletes are still fighting the same battles Billie Jean King was five decades ago, and Hughey plays a vital role in giving them a chance to use their voices for a greater cause. As she continues to show women they too belong in sport, she appreciates UofL giving her the foundation to do so.

“UofL gave me real-world experience,” she said. “Working alongside people who helped set me up for success allowed me to achieve my goal of being at adidas and creating change.”

The proceeds from the sales of what is being coined as “A Shoe for Change” aim to bring positive and lasting transformation to the Louisville community. Mitchell and adidas worked closely with the to determine which scholarships and academic initiatives to fund to best serve its diverse student population. These initiatives include the Woodford R. Porter Scholarship Program, the Muhammad Ali Scholar Program, the Health and Social Justice Scholars Program and an expanded emergency fund to help increase retention rates of the impacted students, allowing them to focus on their studies and work toward graduation.

Alongside Mitchell and adidas, WNBA star Angel McCoughtry also is supporting the efforts tied to her alma mater.

“I am so proud of Donovan and Angel for their commitment to the university, the local community and our ongoing diversity and equity efforts,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “We all know that both of these former Cardinals are fabulous basketball players, but they also are great leaders and role models. The impact from the sale of this shoe will be felt at their alma mater for years to come. We are so honored to have both in the Cardinal Family.”

Members of the UofL men’s and women’s basketball teams will wear the limited-edition colorway in upcoming games. Donovan will also debut the new colorway in his preseason game today, Dec. 17.

“With my mom being a teacher and based on the values she taught me from a young age, I have always understood the importance of education, which is why adidas and I worked with my alma mater, the University of Louisville, to ensure proceeds from the Louisville colorway of D.O.N. Issue #2 would fund scholarships to support Black students,” Mitchell said. “I am passionate about giving back, so having the opportunity to support the Louisville community, a place that helped shape me, is really special and it’s great my friend and champion for equality, Angel McCoughtry, is supporting these efforts as well.”

“Donovan Mitchell is a special talent on the basketball court and an even better person off the court. I’m proud to call him a friend and fellow ‘Cardinal Forever.’ I’m excited to work with him and adidas to support the Louisville community that means so much to me. I’m always proud to wear Donovan’s shoe on court, and I know these scholarship funds generated by the shoe’s sales will leave a lasting impact on the Black students who receive them and the greater Louisville community,” McCoughtry said.

D.O.N. Issue #2 x Louisville (A Shoe for Change) dropsĚýon Dec. 17 for $100Ěýat 1 p.m. EST on . “A Shoe for Change” represents the first sneaker available for fans to purchase among adidas, Mitchell and the Cardinals.

The sneaker’s name, D.O.N., remains a testament to Mitchell’s Determination Over Negativity, aiming to be a vehicle for positive disruption on the court and in communities. The D.O.N. Issue #2 x Louisville portrays the familiar UofL colors and its iconic mascot, Louie the Cardinal, featured inside the rubber outsole dunking. The shoe’s lace overlay includes the Cardinals’ rallying cry, “Louisville First, Cards Forever,” and the heel features “THE VILLE” as a tribute to the city’s long-standing nickname.

“It’s important to remember these are allegations, not facts, and we will diligently prepare a comprehensive response and submit it within the prescribed 90-day period,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “For any allegations that are proven to be factual, we will take responsibility, as accountability is one of our core Cardinal Principles. However, we will not hesitate to push back where the evidence does not support the NCAA’s interpretations or allegations of charges.

“Over the last 2.5 years, we are proud of how the UofL has worked hard to transform itself into a model of compliance and ethical conduct and has not shied away from difficult decisions, going well-beyond reforms atĚýanyĚýother involved institution.ĚýWe will always be guided by our Cardinal Principles and we must keep them front and center when confronting challenges. We will not allow others to define us, as those of us who are a part of this amazing institution know the greatness of the University of Louisville.”

The allegations include:

• A Level I allegation that boosters, as purportedly identified and defined by the NCAA, some of whom had no traditional connections to the university beyond their affiliation with Adidas or professional athlete management entities, provided impermissible benefits to prospective student athletes
• A Level II allegation that two former men’s basketball staff members provided impermissible benefits to – and had impermissible contact with – the family of an incoming student athlete
• A Level II allegation that the institution failed to adequately monitor the recruitment of an incoming high-profile student athlete
• A Level I allegation that the former head men’s basketball coach did not satisfy his head coach responsibility when he failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance; also included is a Level II failure to cooperate allegation against the former head coach.

There are also lower-level violations, including those self-identified and promptly reported by the institution, included within the larger context of the four key allegations.

For more information, go to uofl.edu/ncaa.

“No other Louisville logo elicits more affinity across all generations of our fan base than our Dunking Cardinal,” said Athletics Director Vince Tyra. “After a lot of thought and consideration, we determined that showcasing that was something that would really resonate with our fan base. We are excited about both the men’s and women’s upcoming seasons and can’t wait for our fans to see their new court.”

Louisville athletics worked in conjunction with adidas Basketball on the timely new court design, which required an update once the NCAA Rules Committee ruled to move the Division I men’s 3-point arc back to match the international distance of 22 feet, 1Âľ inches.

The updated floor design seeks to honor the storied legacy of Louisville Basketball in a modern way while setting the stage for the next chapter for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs.

Great care was taken to slightly update the Dunking Cardinal mark for clear brand recognition on broadcast television, while retaining the vintage appeal. Fans may notice that the facial feathers, eyes and beak were refined to more closely align with Louisville’s primary brand mark, the Bird Head. Additionally, this version of the Dunking Cardinal features adidas basketball shoes.

The baseline “Louisville” font pays homage to the iconic scorer’s table signage at Freedom Hall, while the tone-on-tone fleur de lis that appear in the corners of each baseline pay tribute to Louisville’s city flag.

Work will begin on the new floor in mid-August and will be completed prior to the start of the men’s and women’s 2019-20 seasons.

Denny Crum Court in the KFC Yum! Center has served as the home for both Louisville men’s and women’s basketball since the 2010-11 season.Ěý

The partnership is part of the COB’s new Project on Ethical Leadership Excellence, which utilizes two decades of research to teach virtues-based leadership skills. With the help of faculty from the COB, the Athletics Department has already launched initiatives to develop and instill virtues such as integrity, service and learning into their policies and routines and has received training programs to empower leaders with the skills necessary to make these virtues a part of everyday experiences throughout the department.

“I have been fortunate to have had several good mentors throughout my business career who taught me how to be clear about expectations and make the right decisions, and I would like to help others,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Vince Tyra, who personally donated $100,000 to start the project. The UofL Athletics Department and Adidas have each pledged to donate $100,000 a year for 10 years to continue and expand the program, for a total of $2.1 million that will be used for staff and program development.

“We expect this program to lay the groundwork to drive impactful leadership through clear expectations and a foundation of established values,” said Tyra. “We want UofL to be the standard-bearer of principled leadership in both athletics and business, and hope that this educational program under the direction of the College of Business can benefit others. It will strive to aid individuals in developing the leadership knowledge and skills necessary to develop a culture of ethical excellence.”

UofL athletics department staff members have already started the training. Additionally, UofL will offer the training to athletics departments at other ACC schools.

“We intend to develop a formal academic center in the College of Business to focus on these skills and the teaching of these skills,” said COB Dean Todd Mooradian. “This is a terrific opportunity to build high-impact programming that can help individuals, leaders and organizations excel within and outside UofL. We expect to provide our programming to other universities as well as organizations in the corporate and non-profit arenas. We are especially pleased to be developing focused and impactful offerings for athletics administrators and coaches.”

The training is based on research in moral psychology, positive psychology, positive organizational scholarship and leadership. The COB will develop materials for education and instruction that can be purchased by any organization.

“The long-term goal of this project is to promote scientific inquiry into how character and leadership work and how they can be improved,” said Ryan Quinn, associate professor of management, who is leading the training. “We want this project to be inclusive of the whole university community. Faculty from disciplines including philosophy, education, law, sociology and urban and public affairs are already joining in the conversation.”

Postel met with Pitino and Jurich separately Wednesday morning to inform them of the decision, which comes after allegations that a men’s basketball coach participated with an apparel company and others in a scheme to pay a recruit to come to the university.

That player has been notified that he has been removed from team activities.

“The allegations are serious,” Postel said. “It is vital for this university to strictly adhere to NCAA rules and, of course, federal law. Doing nothing would be a tacit endorsement of potential criminal and unethical behavior.”

Jurich has been suspended with pay, effective immediately, pending the next meeting of the University of Louisville Board of Trustees. Pitino has been suspended without pay, effective immediately.

Postel said he will work quickly to name an interim athletic director and, together, they will name an interim head men’s basketball coach. He said he hopes to announce those appointments within 48 hours. Decisions regarding coaches named during the investigation will be made by the interim athletic director.

Postel stressed that the university will cooperate fully with law enforcement and NCAA officials.

The press conference is available below:Ěý

An important element of the agreement is the UofL adidas Internship Program, which provides scholarship assistance for more than 20 students who work with athletic department leaders. The program provides opportunities for practical learning experiences for students who want to develop knowledge, skills and abilities in athletic administration.

The announcement was made Aug. 24 and a news conference was held the following morning.

A partner with adidas since 1998, the new agreement replaces the final year of the current deal, which was to run through 2019. The Portland, Oregon-based company will supply footwear, apparel, accessories and marketing support for all 23 of the university’s intercollegiate athletic programs.Ěý

“When we began our relationship with adidas nearly 20 years ago, we weren’t in the same shape we are now,” said , UofL Vice President and Director of Athletics. “adidas has stood arm and arm with us through adversity and success. The biggest winners in our cooperative partnership have clearly been our student-athletes, who are at the focus of all that we do. We are thrilled to be partnered with an enterprise who shares our passion for innovation, pioneering efforts, striving for excellence and simply doing things differently.”

Below is a promotional video made to announce the extension.