Is This Offensive Lineman College Football’s First Underwear Model?

Thanks to the NCAA’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) policy, University of Colorado (CU) Buffaloes offensive lineman Tommy Brown is living the dream. It’s just somebody else’s dream.

Clothing brand Shinesty last week announced it had inked an NIL deal with Brown, who plays offensive tackle and wears No. 75 for the Buffaloes, to promote its men’s underwear. The company claimed that the 6-foot-7-inch, 330-pound lineman was the “first professional underwear supermodel in college football history.”

“Well, it wasn’t really MY dream, but I’m sure someone dreamt of modeling underwear for a company, and now their dream has come true for me,” Brown said in a press release brimming with body positivity.

Brown is a graduate transfer from the University of Alabama, where he made the Southeastern Conference Honor Roll from 2018-2021. He’s now pursuing a master’s degree in organizational leadership at CU.

The NCAA in July 2021 introduced its NIL policy, which allows athletes to make endorsement deals, cash in on social media, and get paid for such things as making personal appearances, signing autographs, and even endorsing political candidates.

But Brown’s deal with Shinesty appears to be the first to pay a college athlete to model underwear.

“When you have a body this good, you deserve to be paid,” Brown said. “As a college football player, I’m already used to millions of people seeing me in pants that leave nothing to the imagination. Might as well make some money while I’m at it.”