Clemson running back Will Shipley and defensive end K.J. Henry will be making five-figure donations to the “1 CLEM5ON” endowment they’ve established, which will help provide resources to students at the university.
This is considered a unique example of athletes donating their NIL dollars.
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“Once again our young leaders are on the cutting edge of scholar-athlete leadership,” Clemson Assistant Athletic Director of Football Player Relations and P.A.W. [Passionate About Winning] Journey founder Jeff Davis said in a release. “What K.J. Henry and Will Shipley are doing is a small representation of their commitment and bright future. When the impact of NIL is one of the focal points of college athletics, these two leaders are The Example of how empowering our scholar-athletes has immeasurable dividends, from supporting their fellow scholar-athletes’ and students’ endeavors to promoting their love for Clemson University.”
Shipley has also donated $10,000 of his NIL earnings to the Charlotte-based Levine Children’s Hospital.
“Will Shipley, another great story. He’s a running back [for the] football team, he works with the Levine Children’s Hospital and Will has done some great work,” Kevin Gemas, a Co-Founder and board member for the Clemson-focused NIL collective TigerImpact, told On3.com in July. “I mean, he just donated the other day $10,000 to the Levine Children’s Hospital. I mean these are things student-athletes in the past really couldn’t do. Didn’t have, obviously, the monies to do it and not only are they doing it but they’re working on behalf of them.”
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Over the course of the first five years of the endowment, the donations from Shipley and Henry will support Clemson’s Harvey and Lucinda Gantt Multicultural Center and the athletic department’s “Hear Her Roar” campaign. In the future, their contributions will aid Clemson’s P.A.W. Journey program.
