Cleveland, OH
NILLY: Kendrick Perkins’ NIL Platform Faces Ethical Scrutiny
Former NBA champion and TV commentator Kendrick Perkins has attracted attention with the launch of NILLY, a platform designed to help college athletes navigate the intricacies of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. Backed by Harlan Capital Partners, which has committed up to $200 million, NILLY aims to ease the financial strain on athletes by offering upfront payments in exchange for percentages of their NIL earnings. Yet, despite its seemingly positive and uplifting intentions, NILLY has faced scrutiny, with some questioning whether the model takes advantage of broke student-athletes needing quick cash.
Launched in February 2024, NILLY offers athletes cash advances ranging from $25,000 to several hundred thousand dollars. In return, the company secures exclusive rights to the athlete’s NIL for up to seven years, taking a portion of their future earnings, anywhere from 10% to 50%. Though this approach provides immediate financial relief, it has sparked concern among consumer protection advocates and financial advisers.
Perkins, who has an estimated net worth of $28 million, sees NILLY as a critical lifeline for athletes and their families, who often face significant financial challenges. “You have so many athletes and their parents who are struggling day-to-day,” Perkins stated. “Because we’re actually taking a bit of a gamble on what the student-athlete is going to make in the NIL space, the benefit is the kid, the student-athlete, gets financial security, so they don’t have to rush.”
However, financial experts are wary, suggesting that NILLY’s contracts may resemble high-interest loans in disguise. Michael Haddix Jr., CEO of Scout, which provides financial education to athletes, commented, “It feels predatory, and it’s capitalizing on young people who need money and haven’t thought through the long-term implications.” Likewise, Chris Peterson, a law professor at the University of Utah, bluntly labeled NILLY’s contracts as “trashy products designed to take advantage of young kids.”
One case illustrates how much athletes might end up giving away. According to a contract obtained by ESPN, a high school senior received $50,000 upfront, agreeing to give NILLY 25% of his NIL earnings for seven years or until the company recoups $125,000, 2.5 times its original investment. Critics argue that deals like this can leave athletes with significant financial burdens long after they leave college, with some paying the equivalent of $75,000 in potential earnings just to access $50,000 upfront, a steep cost for short-term relief.
In defense, NILLY co-founder Chris Ricciardi argued that these are not loans but licensing agreements. “There’s no interest rate. There’s no requirement to pay back… it’s purely a licensing deal,” he explained, emphasizing that NIL earnings are unpredictable and that NILLY assumes considerable risk by paying athletes without guaranteed returns. However, Mike Pierce, a former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau executive, advised caution, suggesting that the contracts’ fine print may reveal more. “The promise here that if you don’t make it big, you don’t have to pay anything back has a lot of fine print underneath it.”
As NILLY Continues to grow, with 20 athletes already signed on, the ethical debate around its model is gaining momentum. While Perkins and Ricciardi stand by the platform’s intent to provide immediate financial relief, critics warn that its structure could leave athletes with long-lasting financial challenges. The broader issue remains: Can NIL-focused ventures like NILLY truly empower athletes without taking advantage of them?
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The following boys basketball games for Tuesday evening are postponed or canceled, starting with ones involving teams in the cleveland.com Top 25:
No. 7 St. Vincent-St. Mary at Youngstown Ursuline
Avon Lake at No. 16 Berea-Midpark
No. 21 Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy at Lake Catholic
No. 24 Solon at Twinsburg (will be played Feb. 17)
Barberton at Revere (will be played Feb. 18)
Cuyahoga Falls at Copley (will be played Feb. 19)
Field at Mogadore (will be played Feb. 16)
Kenston vs. Mayfield (will now be played Jan. 28 at Mayfield and Feb. 17 at Kenston)
Maple Heights at North Ridgeville (will be played Feb. 18)
Norton at Orrville
Woodridge at Manchester
November 8, 1934 – January 22, 2026
Jane Carol Maisch Probst, 91, formerly of Ellicottville, NY and Bay Village, OH, passed away on January 22, 2026.
Born November 8, 1934, in Cleveland, OH, she was the daughter of the late Sterling Maisch and Irene Rothermel Maisch. She married Hubert “Bert” Probst on December 1, 1962, in Cleveland, OH, who predeceased her after 54 years, in 2017. She met Bert on a blind date in 1958 and married 4 years later.
Jane earned a degree in Medical Technology from Ohio University. She worked as a medical technologist at Lakewood Hospital in Lakewood, OH, and for a brief time in Saginaw, Michigan. She was instrumental in setting up the laboratory in the Pulmonary Medical Group in Fairview Park, OH, where she retired from before moving to Ellicottville, NY with her husband.
While raising a loving family in Bay Village, OH, winter weekends were spent traveling to and from Ellicottville, NY to ski at Holiday Valley Ski Resort, where they passed on their life-long passion to their children and grandchildren. Their ski adventures took them throughout North America and Europe. In 1985, Jane joined the Holiday Valley Ski School as a ski instructor. In 1988, Jane founded the Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program at Holiday Valley, empowering people with disabilities to enjoy skiing using adaptive equipment. At the time, this was one of the first adaptive ski programs in the nation. Jane recruited the original staff of instructors and grew the program to what it is today. After 15 years she retired from adaptive ski instruction. Today the Lounsbury Adaptive Program provides over 200 adaptive lessons each season with over 40 qualified instructors.
After Jane and Bert moved full-time to Ellicottville, Jane spent 10 years as a volunteer at the Ellicottville Memorial Library. In 2019, Jane moved to Canterbury Woods Retirement Community in Williamsville, NY. There she volunteered for the on-site library, started a reading program for residents in assisted living and started a weekly singing club.
Jane was a longtime parishioner of St. Raphael Roman Catholic Church in Bay Village, OH, and Holy Name of Mary Roman Catholic Church in Ellicottville, NY, where she was a member of the choir.
Jane is survived by her children: Joseph (Donna), Mary (William), and Timothy (Tahira), 8 loving grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
In addition to her husband, Jane was predeceased by her brother John Maisch.
Friends may call at O’Rourke & O’Rourke Funeral Home, 25 River St, Salamanca, NY on Thursday, January 29, 2026 from 5 – 8 p.m.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Holy Name of Mary Roman Catholic Church, 22 Jefferson St, Ellicottville, NY on Friday at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Charles Johnson as celebrant.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program, Holiday Valley Resort, PO BOX 370, Ellicottville, NY 14731 or www.lounsburyadaptive.org/donate or the Ellicottville Memorial Library, 6499 Maples Rd, Ellicottville, NY 14731.
E-condolences can be sent to orourke.orourkefh@gmail.com or facebook.com/onofh
FOWLER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Sunday that a man died in Trumbull County after he was hit by a snowplow while riding a snowmobile.
OSHP said at around 6:26 p.m., officers were dispatched to the intersection of SR 305 and Ridge Road in Fowler Township.
Richard Coelho Jr., 49, of Vienna, was going south on Ridge Road on a 1999 Ski-Doo snowmobile. Dale Onstott, 45, of Hartford, was heading west on SR 305 while operating a salt/plow truck.
Coelho came to a stop in the intersection, beyond the stop sign, OSHP said. He was then struck by the plow, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Onstott wasn’t injured, OSHP said.
The crash is under investigation.
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