LAUREL — Name, image and likeness (NIL) has taken off for college athletes in the past few years. With the success Montana State has had on the gridiron recently, it’s the players reaping the rewards.
“I haven't got a taco shop yet, which is kind of odd to me, but I did a burger company and a bagel shop. It's done me pretty well and the Bobcat Collective has done sweet, too," said wide receiver Taco Dowler.
Fans have likely seen the T-shirts with players names and faces, the DonJoy Mafia hoodies and the commercials. It’s safe to say these guys are celebrities within the state.
“You go out and you'll see some of the people that are here, especially in Billings, but you go out in Bozeman and go to Sidewinders, you'll kind of get swamped if you go at the right time," safety Caden Dowler said. "It definitely helps. You'll get your meals paid for sometimes."
“We go to C.J.'s (in Billings) a lot. A lot of the times we see people there and they're like, 'They already paid for your meal.' It's like, 'Thank you, but we feel bad kind of,'" Taco said. "It's really nice. A lot of people do nice stuff for us. And people think we're a lot cooler than we actually are. We're not very cool. We're very fortunate for that."
Laurel was just one of the stops this summer for Bobcat players as they visit different parts of the state. But the highlight was working with special needs folks from Eagle Mount in Billings.
“That was the greatest thing. I told them that it was probably more for us than for them, honestly. It was great," Caden said. "We kind of all went in with question marks of what it really was. We didn't know what Eagle Mount was or what they did. What they do is really cool. All Bobcat fans love us more than anything, so it's awesome to see the support they give us and just hang out."
Name, image and likeness doing much more than just the numbers show.
