Riley Leonard shows leadership by sharing NIL with Notre Dame football teammates

From the first moments that Riley Leonard was a part of the Notre Dame football team, there’s been talk about the kind of leader he is. It’s taken no time at all for Irish fans to see that leadership in action.

The latest display of that came on Friday, when the gunslinger, fresh off one of the biggest wins of his college career, turned his attention to earning a little cash. Leonard recently signed a deal with DICK’s Sporting Goods. 

He was set to earn a nice appearance fee. However, Riley Leonard came up with a different idea. Instead of pocketing the money, according to On3’s Pete Nakos, the quarterback brought all his Notre Dame football offensive linemen with him and gave them the NIL money.

It’s yet another move that shows that Leonard doesn’t just talk the talk of being a leader. He’s actively looking for ways to show leadership. He’s someone who seems to understand that the best way for the Blue and Gold to succeed is to come together quickly.

Notre Dame football offensive linemen get nice surprise from Riley Leonard

“It means a lot to be able to share an opportunity like this with my teammates, in fact it’s essential to me,” Leonard said in a statement. “I know I’m the quarterback of this team, but we can’t win on and off the field if we’re not doing this stuff together.”

“I am very grateful to DICK’S for giving us the chance to connect with fans in such a fun way as a unit and especially to be able to involve my O-Linemen. Things are always better for everyone when they’re around.”

The appearance has Riley Leonard and the offensive linemen meeting with fans at a local DICK’s location for about an hour and a half. It’s a standard meet and greet that hundreds of players have done since NIL started to be a thing. 

However, what stands out here is that DICK’s didn’t originally ask so many players to come. The Notre Dame football captain came up with that, and the retailer decided it was indeed a good idea.