NCAA Rules Runner Ryan Trahan Can't Use Athletics to Promote His Company
The NCAA announced in a series of tweets Thursday that Texas A&M cross country runner Ryan Trahan cannot use his status as a collegiate athlete to promote his water bottle company on YouTube.
In a video posted Wednesday, Trahan said he had to file to have his eligibility reinstated because he's currently considered ineligible while the NCAA investigates how he's used his name, likeness and status as an athlete to promote his company, Neptune Bottle.
"These are the two biggest things in my life," Trahan said, per the Dallas Morning News' Ben Baby. "They're asking me to throw one out the window, essentially."
In the same video, Trahan expressed bewilderment regarding the NCAA's stance.
"I don't understand how I'm allowed to have a job at McDonald's or something while being a student-athlete," he said, per ESPN.com. "But I can't have a company that I'm passionate about, that I've been working on for over a year now and keep my identity. Like, how is that right in any way?"
Trahan's battle with the NCAA comes after University of Central Florida kicker Donald De La Haye was ruled ineligible because he was earning advertising revenue from his YouTube channel.
In a statement provided to the Orlando Sentinel, UCF said that while the NCAA did issue De La Haye a waiver that would have allowed him to maintain his eligibility, he could only "monetize videos that did not reference his status as a student-athlete or depict his football skill or ability."
