Villanova’s Collin Gillespie, Maddy Siegrist benefiting from NIL changes entering NCAA Tournament

Maddy Siegrist confessed that growing up in Poughkeepsie, New York, she never discussed much in the way of business with her father, George, who owns a construction company that bears the family name.

“We never talked about that at all, what it means to be investing,” said Siegrist, the 6-foot-1 star junior forward for the Villanova Wildcats.

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But ever since the NCAA changed its policies last summer, which opened the door for amateur athletes to earn money off of their name, image and likeness (NIL), Siegrist, the nation’s second-leading scorer(25.9 points per game), has had plenty of heart-to-heart business summits with her parents, not to mention some trusted lawyers. The 21-year-old Siegrist, like hundreds of college athletes across the country — including her fellow Villanova basketball peer, Collin Gillespie — are discovering how to balance the crossover dribble and their checkbooks, simultaneously.

“That’s a perfect word — revolutionary. There are so many opportunities now that you just didn’t have,” said Siegrist. “Before, we had a million compliance meetings [at Villanova] – ‘You can’t take anything. You can’t do anything. You can’t promote yourself.’ There was nothing you could do. And now it’s like, in one day, it changed.”

Siegrist said she started capitalizing on NIL deals last summer, immediately following the rule changes, which for decades barred amateur athletes from being compensated for NIL usage. Siegrist said she got paid to participate in different basketball camps and clinics during the summer of 2021.

“I like to give back,” she said. Only this time around, she earned a chunk of money for her coaching expertise.

When the calendar turned, and before she would earn women’s Big East Player of the Year honors and lead the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament, Siegrist was fielding NIL offers. Locally, she partnered with the Philadelphia law firm, Pond Lehocky, as an ambassador. And she was chosen by Outback Steakhouse — along with Gillespie — to be one of a dozen college hoops players who are the faces of the restaurant chain’s national “TeamMATES” marketing and advertising campaign.

“[Outback] reached out to me through social media,” said Siegrist. Gillespie, 22, said Outback contacted him via social media as well. The Philadelphia product (Archbishop Wood) and fifth-year guard said his family told him to “be smart about the decisions that you make.”

» READ MORE: Collin Gillespie’s game was Northeast Philly-made before Villanova even happened

“They [my parents] have my best interests in mind. I thought [Outback] was a smart decision for myself, and I was able to work and go do it with my friend, Maddy Siegrist. It was a cool experience.”

Danielle Vona, the chief marketing officer for Bloomin’ Brands, Outback’s parent company, said the “TeamMATES” campaign with college athletes began last fall with a roster of Division-I football players, including Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

“College sports has actually been an important part of Outback’s marketing for a very long time — decades,” said Vona. “We have a strong audience overlap and market alignment with college sports fans. They’re very passionate people. It’s a great space for us to connect with people in meaningful ways. It made it very easy for us to start thinking about this program as soon as NIL restrictions started to ease last summer.”

Vona said the athletes who were selected for the “TeamMATES” campaign had to meet certain criteria, including fitting the company’s brand the campaign’s goals.

“We built the program around that desire to celebrate all good things about being part of a team,” said Vona. “Whether it’s about the sports team or the place you work, or the community or that camaraderie, it’s at the heart of all things that we do for Outback. Partnering with these athletes, it’s been very successful, but also very thoughtful in terms of how we connect with people and fans.”

On Siegrist’s Instagram account, there is one photo where she hosts several of her Villanova teammates at Outback. Through one of the campaign’s online options, anyone can order a “Collin Gillespie Meal” (Aussie cheese fries and a New York strip steak) or a “Maddy Siegrist Meal” (Gold Coast coconut shrimp and Victoria’s filet mignon).

Of course, amateur athletes at any level could not profit off NIL deals before the summer of 2021, a thorny, decades-long conundrum that eventually set the stage for the landmark O’Bannon v. NCAA case. Former UCLA star player Ed O’Bannon was the lead plaintiff in a federal class-action lawsuit against the NCAA, alleging that the organization violated antitrust laws. O’Bannon, who was a member of the 1995 NCAA Championship-winning Bruins, originally sought legal action after his likeness was used in an EA Sports video game without his permission.

Michael Hausfeld, the prominent Washington D.C. attorney, successfully represented O’Bannon and other former Division-I basketball and football players in the case, which eventually went before the Supreme Court on appeal. The Supreme Court upheld the ruling. Hausfeld said today’s amateur athletes profiting off of NIL deals is “a long time in the making, and extremely well-deserved for the athletes.”

“It’s merely just the beginning of what should be done in terms of reforming the entire NCAA structure and giving athletes a greater voice in the governance of their athletic/academic experience,” said Hausfeld, “as well as a greater distribution of revenues that are accrued as a result of their names and performance and status, so that it could be available throughout the college athletic programs – all genders, all divisions, all sports.”

Because of a pioneer like O’Bannon, Siegrist and Gillespie can see their No. 20 and No. 2 Villanova jerseys sold in the campus bookstore, and make a percentage profit off of those sales. Siegrist and Gillespie both agreed that the business experience alone that comes from these NIL deals is invaluable.

“It’s definitely cool that in the second half of my college career, I get to experience this,” said Siegrist, who also partnered with the Vintage Brand clothing line and like Gillespie, is a Barstool Athlete. “For my teammates, too. It’s fun. We all talk about it a little bit. Obviously, you hear about the big deals, stuff like that. Every level of college athlete, really, can take part in it in some way. You always want to make money now to save for later. so it’s good to put yourself in the best position financially moving forward.”

In addition to Outback, Gillespie also did a local deal, partnering with Morroni Custom Clothing brand. On the Morroni Instagram account, there are several photos of Gillespie.

“Congratulations to our brand ambassador Collin Gillespie and the Villanova Wildcats for winning the Big East tournament,” reads a March 12 Morroni post.

“I think it’s a good experience to have, knowing the business side of it,” said Gillespie, of adding NIL deals to his crowded college resume. “Being able to work things out in that way, knowing what you have to do in these situations, you can’t really go wrong with having the experience.

“And obviously, it’s exciting and good for the student-athletes who [need] a little extra cash in their pockets,” added Gillespie. “But it’s important that you don’t take out the college side of it, being a student first. Just make sure you’re doing everything you need to as a student-athlete.”

The NCAA Tournament will be the biggest opportunity for Gillespie and Siegrist to continue to build their rising business portfolios. Gillespie’s Wildcats will open up against Delaware on Friday, while Siegrist and Co. play BYU on Saturday in their opener.