USC football players sign NIL deals with South Bay Athletic Club, work with children in Wilmington

Several Trojans spent time at the Boys And Girls Club Of Wilmington on Friday playing sports with kids

WILMINGTON, Calif. — Nine USC football players have signed NIL deals with the nonprofit South Bay Athletic Club. Through the agreements, the players are compensated for working with kids at the Boys And Girls Club Of Wilmington. 

Jonah Monheim, Tahj Washington, Justin Dedich, Michael Jackson III, Kyron Hudson and Marshawn Lloyd all spent time at the Boys And Girls Club on Friday evening. The group threw footballs, organized hurdle races and played basketball with the kids. 

"It was fun to give back to the community especially with all of my teammates," Dedich said. "To see all of these different guys come out of their shells a little bit and hang out with the kids was great. You can see the smiles on all of the kids' faces and it just makes their days. You never know what kids are going through so just being that light for them is awesome."

The South Bay Athletic Club's mission statement is to “build interest and opportunity in athletics for all ages. We believe in a full circle approach where today's Elite interact directly with up-and-comers to inspire and engage the next generation of athletes,” according to its website.

The organization was founded by two USC track & field alums, John Colich and Conor McCullough.

In addition to the six players who participated on Friday, Denis Lynch, Domani Jackson and Raleek Brown have also signed deals with The South Bay Athletic Club. Those three spent time at the Boys And Girls Club on Tuesday. Several track & field athletes have also signed NIL deals with the nonprofit.  

"This is going to become the new norm and it's awesome because not only do athletes get to help themselves, they get to help the community," Dedich said. "I'm excited to see where this progresses in the future."