If one is led to believe that a previous Colorado sports staffer, Deion Sanders ‘ brand has expanded far beyond what was initially anticipated.
Former special teams coordinator Trevor Reilly claims he spent time lobbying Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund ( PIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, to fund the football team’s NIL program during a post on Sports Illustrated’s Colorado Buffaloes blog.
College coaches have apparently started talking to big-money owners. Kenny Blakeney, the head coach of Howard hockey, earlier this month, requested$$ 100 million in exchange for a 33 % interest in the system from private equity firms.

In a letter to Sanders and CU sport director Rick George on August 1 that was reviewed by the SI website, Reilly outlined his efforts to grow the Buff ‘ 5430 NIL social as well as expressing his emotions.
In the email, Reilly told George and Sanders:” I actually went to Saudi Arabia and got a conference with the Saudis, who were interested in pursuing company. You people let it fall flat on its mouth, and I have email documents to support that.
Reilly claimed that he worked for the NIL software independently and that he “did nothing improper and was trying to help Colorado the best way I could.”
Reilly, who played football at the University of Utah, expressed his disapproval of the organization that the school works for NIL in an interview on ESPN 700 in Salt Lake City on August 21. He claimed that he had put together a proposal to build a wider nets of possible fundraisers but was turned down by the organization.
A Colorado director wrote to Sportico in an internet that” Trevor Reilly himself acted on his own accord and is no longer an employee of the university.”
When Smith from Jackson State was appointed Colorado’s mind basketball coach in 2023, Reilly and Sanders moved to Boulder. Previous linebacker who contributed to special teams for the first four NFL seasons, Reilly claimed to have also worked on the NIL community at this historically Black universities while working as a grad assistant at Jackson State.
Due to the political unrest that comes with being associated with a nation that has long been criticized for human rights abuses, any connection to PIF, which has assets worth$ 925 billion around the world, is certain to raise eyebrows. Saudi Arabia has long been accused of sportswashing through PIF, from the possible acquisition of its LIV Golf Tour and PGA Tour to its greater engagement with club and international sport.
But when Pa really does actually arrive in school sports, it’s very possible Saudi money may be part of the mix, albeit indirectly. Numerous of the top private equity firms active in school activities obtain funding from reputable sovereign wealth funds. That adds a level of treatment that is occasionally preferred. It costs the sovereigns funds in administration fees, but it avoids a lot of the scrutiny that might otherwise occur regarding deal structures or common responses.

With guidance from Eben Novy-Williams.
( The eighth paragraph of this article was updated to include a statement from Colorado. )