DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Icon Source, a digital marketplace that connects brands with professional and college athletes, has tapped former college and professional football player Drew Butler to head its collegiate division. This expansion comes after Icon Source’s announcement to open its secure on-demand platform to college athletes in response to the NCAA decision to allow players to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL), as early as July 1, 2021.
A longtime advocate for college compensation laws, Butler brings a passion to empower college players on how to build their personal brand, putting the individual athletes above institutions or outside parties looking for a way to profit.
“Current NIL laws leave the heavy lifting up to the student athletes to promote themselves and find opportunities to capitalize on their likeness,” shares Butler. “While there are a number of companies focused on helping college athletes boost their social media presence, Icon Source is the only platform to directly connect them with brands, both national and hyper-local, while maintaining the transparency compliance officers and universities will require. ”
Butler spent four years as a punter for the University of Georgia from 2007-2011, before playing professionally with both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. He now runs his own consulting business, called 4th Down Consulting and hosts two college football shows, the Punt & Pass Podcast and CampusLore Live. His career has always been focused on the intersection between media and sports, and his unique perspective will position Icon Source as the major contender in the college space.
“Icon Source was created by athletes, with a mission to enable and protect them across all sports and levels,” say Chase Garrett, founder and CEO of Icon Source. “It has been a long-time coming for college athletes to be compensated for their NIL, and we are beyond excited to have a former athlete of Drew’s caliber leading our efforts in awareness and education as we navigate the changing regulations around student athlete compensation.”
College athletes on the Icon Source platform have the ability to build out profiles based on division, conference, school and sport, in addition to the metrics like social stats, location and personal interests. Companies can perform organic searches for athletes or utilize Icon Source’s AI technology to be paired with an athlete based on social audience demographics. Tracking and reporting capabilities are also already integrated into the platform, allowing the monitoring of opportunities by coaches, school compliance officers and the NCAA, ensuring the protection of young athletes.
About Icon Source
Icon Source is a digital marketplace that brings agents, athletes and brands together. The Denver-based startup is the only platform that provides brands of all sizes direct communication with agents, eliminating unnecessary intermediate steps to engage with a professional athlete. Its proprietary AI technology pairs athletes and brands based on social audience demographics. For additional information and to create a free account, visit www.iconsource.com.
