Shedeur Sanders has become the first college athlete to be signed as a brand ambassador for Apple-owned Beats by Dre. It follows a change in the rules around how such athletes can earn money. The Jackson State University quarterback spoke to People about the move and appears in a new advert for the brand.
The pairing, which Shedeur calls “real” and “organic” as he grew up using the company’s headphone products, comes after the NCAA decided that student-athletes can now — on an interim basis — earn money from their name, image and likeness. “People don’t understand how much work and how much time you put into the game,” says Shedeur. “Stay late at the school just going over film, going over plays, as much time and hard work it is that’s put into this and that we’re able to be rewarded now, it feels amazing.”