Name Image Likeness

Vanderbilt Hires NBA Front-Office Veteran to Navigate NIL Initiatives

Vanderbilt hires former Oklahoma City Thunder executive to lead its efforts in response to the NCAA's more professionalized model.

Noah Henderson

Vanderbilt mascot Mr. Commodore dances during a timeout during the first half of the game against Tennessee at Memorial Gymnasium Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Ncaa Basketball Tennessee At Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt mascot Mr. Commodore dances during a timeout during the first half of the game against Tennessee at Memorial Gymnasium Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Ncaa Basketball Tennessee At Vanderbilt / George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Vanderbilt has announced the acquisition of Amanda Green to help lead the Commodores' efforts in college athletics’ new structure. Green will hold the title of Associate General Counsel, but her role will be tailored to working with the athletics department’s NIL and revenue-sharing initiatives.

Next season, college athletics will be transformed into a more professional model featuring revenue-sharing. As the preliminarily approved House v. NCAA settlement prescribes, every school that opts into the settlement will be permitted to provide athletes at their institution with up to $20.5 million in NIL revenue-sharing payments in the 2025-26 season.

In addition to revenue-sharing, the NCAA has delegated itself the authority to audit NIL collective contracts that violate pay-for-play rules.

These changes aim to move athletic compensation inside athletic departments and out of the hands of third-party NIL collectives. With these changes coming in only a few months, schools must quickly build infrastructure to facilitate athlete compensation, valuation, negotiations, and cap management.

According to a university press release, Green’s responsibilities will “range from negotiating agreements to advising on partnerships, to name, image and likeness (NIL) activities and other evolving legislation and legal matters among other responsibilities.” 

Green is uniquely ready to add value to Vanderbilt athletics.

She heads to Nashville with over 10 years of NBA front office experience, most recently as Vice President of Team Counsel and Strategic Alignment for the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee expressed her excitement to welcome the Commodores’ newest member, stating, “Amanda Green embodies our laser-focused commitment to meeting the moment and leading the way forward for college athletics… She’s helped shape championship environments from the bench to the boardroom and understands how successful organizations embrace opportunity by working together to maximize potential.”

Green’s hire follows a growing trend of colleges poaching front-office talent from professional sports.

Her hire marks the third Power 4 front-office acquisition in just two weeks with ties to Sam Presti’s OKC basketball operations team. Notably, Thunder scout Andrew Slater has joined North Carolina State as their newest general manager, while amateur talent evaluator Corey Evans was hired by Cincinnati in a similar GM role.

Vanderbilt is the latest school to invest in acquiring an executive from professional sports to aid in the NCAA’s transition away from amateurism.

With the vast number of front offices being built out at the college level, NBA and NFL teams will have a busy offseason replacing staffers who have been poached. 

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Noah Henderson
NOAH HENDERSON

Professor Noah Henderson teaches in the sport management department at Loyola University Chicago. Outside the classroom, he advises companies, schools, and collectives on Name, Image, and Likeness best practices. His academic research focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and social consequences regarding college athletics, NIL, and sports gambling. Before teaching, Prof. Henderson was part of a team that amended Illinois NIL legislation and managed NIL collectives at the nation’s most prominent athletic institutions while working for industry leader Student Athlete NIL. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Economics from Saint Joseph’s University, where he was a four-year letter winner on the golf team. Prof. Henderson is a native of San Diego, California, and a former golf CIF state champion with Torrey Pines High School. Outside of athletics, he enjoys playing guitar, hanging out with dogs, and eating California burritos. You can follow him on Twitter: @NoahImgLikeness. 

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