Purdue Star Edey Navigates Immigration Law to Land NIL Deal

National Player of the Year capitalizes on NIL despite being from Canada

Purdue basketball star – the reigning consensus National Player of the Year – Zach Edey teamed up with Daps in a NIL deal during the Boilermakers' trip to Toronto this past weekend. 

Edey, a Toronto native, came to the United States on a F-1 visa, which allows students to live temporarily in the U.S. while attending a university. An outdated feature of the F-1 visa is that it significantly restricts student-athletes from monetizing their NIL while on U.S. soil, with only narrow exceptions. According to NCAA data, nearly 13% of all Division I athletes are international. 

Edey, with the help of representatives at Priority Sports, successfully navigated the F-1 visa restrictions by executing the NIL deal with Daps while he was in Canada. Since the NIL deal was conducted outside of the U.S., he remained compliant with his visa. The Boilermakers were in Toronto for a matchup against Alabama, where they won 92-86. Edey scored 35 points and is currently the leading candidate for National Player of the Year. 

When USA TODAY Sports asked Edey if he cared about being able to cash in on NIL, the Boilermaker star said, "Not particularly. But now that I am getting paid, thinking back on it, it was ridiculous that we weren't getting paid. At the time, the only thing I was focused on was my basketball, as it is now."

Daps is a start-up based in New York, founded by Jake Klores. The company's app enables fans to bid on game-worn shoes and jerseys or valuable items such as signed paintings. The app also allows fans to connect with athletes through video calls and social media shoutouts. 

"We are building the infrastructure and technology to make it easy for athletes to run their direct fan businesses on their terms while at the same time giving sports fans unique access to the athletes they love," Klores told USA TODAY Sports. "It also became an opportunity for the athlete to make much-deserved money for themselves and a provide a unique brand-building chance." 

As part of the partnership, Edey is giving back to his fans by allowing them to enter into a drawing to purchase autographed cards. One hundred users will be randomly selected on Dec. 22. Additionally, there will be an auction for a 1/1 signed canvas.