'Michigan vs. Everybody' Merchandise Raises Big Money for NIL

University of Michigan student athletes stand to benefit from the first 48 hours of sales of 'Michigan vs. Everybody' merchandise.

The return of “Michigan vs. Everybody” merchandise has reportedly raised $50,000 for Michigan student-athletes through its NIL program, per a story in On3.com.

Earlier in the week a partnership between the Champions Circle, Michigan’s official NIL collective, and the M Den, the latter of which is Michigan’s official online retailer allowed the return of merchandise to shelves and online retailers. The Champions Circle is managed by the Valiant Management Group.

The T-shirts were produced by the “Detroit vs. Everybody” brand and also features hoodies, sweatshirts, beanies and hats through the M Den’s online site.

M Den reported that 10,000 produces were sold in the first 48 hours after the merchandise went live. A portion of each purchase went to the Champions Circle.

The return of the merchandise couldn’t have been better timed.

In the midst of the sign-stealing controversy that has engulfed the football program for the past several weeks. The Big Ten announced on Friday that it was suspending head coach Jim Harbaugh for three games, starting with Saturday’s game against Penn State.

Players were wearing the “Michigan vs. Everybody” merchandise during pre-game and the Wolverines won, 24-15, to keep their undefeated season moving.

But the controversy isn’t over. Michigan is appealing the Big Ten ruling and it will be heard in court on Friday.

All of this stems from a former Michigan staffer, Connor Stallions, who is accused of attending multiple Big Ten games, recording a team’s signs and passing that information along to the Michigan coaching staff.

The revelations led to an NCAA investigation into the operation, in which there are records around Stallions’ travel and the former staffer’s own interviews that indicate that Harbaugh was at least aware of his advanced scouting.

For the past two weeks the Big Ten’s commissioner, Tony Petitti, has faced increasing pressure for the other Big Ten members to take some action against either Michigan or Harbaugh, even though the NCAA’s investigation has not concluded.

Petitti took action on Friday, suspending Harbaugh while the team was flying to State College, Pa., for Saturday’s game.