Tennessee’s John Fulkerson Pledges NIL Earnings to the Tennessee Fund

Last Updated on November 23, 2021

Point tracker as of 11/23/21: 326

“Super senior” men’s basketball student athlete John Fulkerson has pledged some of his earnings from his name, image and likeness to the Tennessee Fund. He’s pledging to donate $1 for every point the Vols score this basketball season.

“My time as a Tennessee student-athlete has been life-changing and everything I could have asked for,” Fulkerson said. “This year, I’ve been very blessed to capitalize on some great NIL opportunities. And those opportunities would have never been possible without the amazing support I’ve received over the last five-plus years from so many people across the athletics department and campus.

“This is my way of giving back and saying, ‘thank you,’ for the incredible support I’ve received as a Tennessee student-athlete for all these years.”

Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White praised Fulkerson’s move.

“This is the first instance I know of where a student-athlete proactively initiated a philanthropic gift to his or her school while they were still actively competing,” White said. “John’s a special guy who represents everything great about intercollegiate athletics and exemplifies the Volunteer Spirit.”

Fulkerson enters the season just 11 appearances shy of breaking Tennessee’s all-time record for games played (142, held by Wayne Chism). He can also hit the 1,000-point milestone for his career with an additional 125 points this season.

KNOXVILLE, TN – October 06, 2021 – Forward John Fulkerson #10 of the Tennessee Volunteers portrait taken in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

Prior to the season, Fulkerson signed several NIL deals. He’s an official spokesperson for Pal’s restaurants and has created a line of t-shirts being sold at local boutique Nothing Too Fancy.

The shirts have some fun plays on his last name: Fulk Yeah, Fulk Smash and The Incredible Fulk. The boutique carries both adult and youth shirts options.

Check out other notable NIL deals

Author

  • Kristi Dosh

    Kristi A. Dosh is the founder of BusinessofCollegeSports.com and has served as a sports business analyst and contributor for outlets such as Forbes, ESPN, SportsBusiness Journal, Bleacher Report, SB Nation and more. She is also the author of a book on the business of college football, Saturday Millionaires. Kristi is a sought-after consultant and speaker on topics related to the business of college sports and a former practicing attorney. Click to learn more

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