Michigan names Terese Whitehead general manager for NIL: How will hire impact Wolverines?

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Terése Whitehead, a 1999 Michigan graduate and former executive with the NFL Players Association, has been hired to oversee NIL at Michigan through the school’s agreement with Altius Sports Partners.

Whitehead was hired by Altius to serve as Michigan’s on-campus executive general manager as part of a consulting agreement announced in February. Her previous role was VP of Consumer Products & Strategy at NFL Players Inc., a for-profit subsidiary of the NFLPA that handles group licensing deals.

“Terése is a perfect fit and uniquely qualified to lead U-M’s strategy thanks to her impressive sports background in marketing, licensing, brand development, and partnerships and her experience across agency, league, and team settings to tailor tremendous revenue-generating opportunities for teams and individual athletes,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement.

NFLPA Executive Whitehead Appointed In-House Altius NIL Executive GM for Michigan Athleticshttps://t.co/Oskl8Ucrqx #GoBlue #NIL pic.twitter.com/NCfyH0WfLu

— Kurt Svoboda〽️ (@ksvoboda) May 8, 2024

Whitehead will be the point person for NIL at Michigan, working with coaches and athletes as well as entities like the Champions Circle collective and Michigan Sports Properties. She’s arriving at a time of upheaval in college sports, with the NCAA facing class-action lawsuits that could open the door for direct revenue sharing between schools and players. As part of its consulting services, Altius offers a “playbook for the future of college athletics” that covers revenue sharing, collective bargaining and athlete employment models, among other topics.

Before her time with the NFLPA, Whitehead oversaw marketing efforts for NBA and WNBA stars such as Grant Hill, Ray Allen, Tim Duncan and Tamika Catchings as an executive with Tandem Sports + Entertainment. She also worked in team marketing for the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers.

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“Returning to the University of Michigan feels like a homecoming where my passion for sports and advocacy began,” Whitehead said in a release. “My entire sports marketing journey has equipped me with invaluable experience, particularly in leveraging the individual and group NIL rights of professional athletes.”

Group licensing deals allow companies to partner with groups of athletes rather than negotiating NIL deals with each one individually. As one example, players who opted in are eligible to receive $600 for use of their NIL rights in the upcoming EA College Football 25 video game, which is set for release this summer.

“I’m committed to making a lasting impact, ensuring every Wolverine student-athlete feels supported, informed, and empowered to seize opportunities ahead,” Whitehead said.

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(Photo: Aaron J. Thornton / Getty Images)