College athletes in Montana are being offered cash to make endorsement videos for Sen. Jon Tester as he campaigns for one of the Democrats’ most vulnerable seats of the 2024 cycle, according to emails shared with Fox News Digital.
A group called “Montana Together” recently sourced athletes at the University of Montana (UMT), offering payments in exchange for the promotion of Tester, according to the school’s athletic director, Kent Haslam.
In July, the initial contact was made on behalf of “Montana Together” through a representative at Opendorce.com, a platform used as a marketplace for athletes to score Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. NIL is a policy approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2021 that allows college athletes to monetize their content.
The group was offering student athletes a range of offers from $400 to $2,400 in exchange for a video “spreading the word” about the Democratic senator, a copy of the emails shared with Fox News Digital reveals.
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Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana is running for re-election in 2024. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
“We have an NIL opportunity for Montana student-athletes, and I could use your help getting the information below to any individuals who you recommend applying for this campaign. Montana Together is using Opendorse to source athletes for an NIL deal,” the email obtained by Fox News Digital reads. “Who are they looking for?: Athletes who attend college in Montana and are interested in spreading the word about Senator Jon Tester and causes you care about.”
The deals were offered as follows: $400 for two scripted videos, $800 for two unscripted videos, and $2,400 for four unscripted videos.
Tester’s campaign told Fox News Digital that they had no knowledge of these actions and are not in communication with the group.
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