LSU Pitcher Paul Skenes To Donate NIL Money
LSU pitcher Paul Skenes is the latest Tiger to announce he will donate a portion of his name, image and likeness money to a charity of his choice.
Skenes revealed on Wednesday night that he will pledge $10 for every strikeout to Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military and first responders who have died or been disabled.
"I wanted to give back because the military has been such a big piece for me," Skenes said. "Coach Kaz was like immediately, 'Do folds of honor.'"
On Wednesday night, the donations were at $234.80 and by Friday afternoon, Skenes had raised $3,163.67.
Skenes is the third Tiger to announce he will donate his NIL money after Tommy White and Thatcher Hurd both did as well.
For White, he pledged to donate a portion of his earnings to Empower 225, a local organization in Baton Rouge aimed to “empower” youth to provide resources with the cycle of poverty and violence.
Hurd, a first-year Tiger who transferred to Baton Rouge from UCLA, has donated 100% of his NIL money to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. Moving forward, he will donate all of his NIL money to local charities.
“I feel a ton of gratitude that I get to play at LSU with such overwhelming support from the community,” Hurd said in an interview. “I just wanted to give back to the community and that’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
“I’m lucky enough that I’ve never had to worry where my next meal is coming from. To give a helping hand to those that are in a tough time or don’t know where their next meal is coming from means a lot to me. I’m excited about this.”
The hype surrounding LSU’s 2023 team has the entire country on notice. The Tigers are ranked No. 1 in virtually every preseason poll with championship or bust expectations in Baton Rouge.