Businessman and philanthropist Adam Weitsman, who has done some name, image and likeness deals with Syracuse Orange student-athletes in the past, says that he would like to come back.
Weitsman, who this summer is serving as the chairman of Boeheim's Army in the $1 million winner-take-all The Basketball Tournament, conducted an interview with former Syracuse basketball player Etan Thomas in recent days.
You can check out the full interview via YouTube.
Weitsman tells Thomas that he would love to come back and work with 'Cuse student-athletes, but that he would want to do it with Syracuse University's blessing. As I and others have reported in the past, Weitsman has shared his thoughts on why he decided, in April of 2023, to no longer do NIL deals with Syracuse Orange players.
On the other hand, the university and SU Athletics have not commented on Weitsman. Whether that's the right approach by SU officials is a topic hotly debated by Syracuse Orange fans on social media and in chat rooms.
Adam Weitsman says he would like to return and be involved with Syracuse Orange NIL initiatives.
In recent months, particularly amid the spring transfer portal windows in college basketball and college football, many 'Cuse fans have also voiced their opinions on Weitsman. Some want him back in the fold. Some don't.
Some SU fans say that if Weitsman wants to provide dollars to Syracuse Orange players for NIL purposes, he can donate to one of the three collectives affiliated with the 'Cuse. Whether it's that simple or not, I don't know.
Currently, those collectives are Orange United, SU Football NIL and Athletes Who Care. In early March, 'Cuse athletics director John Wildhack said that come July 1, all three of those organizations will not exist as things will be streamlined.
In February of this year, SU Athletics announced a three-year, $50 million fundraising effort that will focus on attracting and retaining top-flight student-athletes.
Regarding Weitsman, if he's able to have conversations with SU officials and get back into the NIL game with the 'Cuse, that would be great. The Syracuse Orange, from what I gather, is doing okay in NIL as compared to its peers in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but particularly as revenue-sharing could arrive in the 2025-26 sports season, the 'Cuse will need all the help that it can get from third-party NIL entities and donors.
Now if Adam is able to simply donate to a collective now and has chosen not to, that's on him. But if a convo or convos with university leaders would help smooth all of this over and result in Weitsman providing ample NIL dollars for Syracuse Orange players, via a collective and not on his own independently, I'd love to see it happen.