Pitt Football and Basketball Combine to Help Aaron Donald

A Pitt football and basketball player teamed up for a great cause.

PITTSBURGH -- Recently liberalized Name, Image and Likeness rights for college athletes have allowed them to earn massive sums of money from boosters and businesses. With all of the money that is floating around primarily in college football and basketball, NIL collectives, which funnels money from the wealthy supporters to athletes, have popped up at schools across America. The Pitt Panthers have a NIL Collective - Alliance 412 - but it hasn't limited itself to simply handing out rich endorsement deals. 

A pair of Panther athletes volunteered their time to former Pitt great and current NFL star Aaron Donald's non-profit, AD99 Solutions, on Saturday. The organization hosted what it called a Mental Flex Forum, which "worked with Pittsburgh's underserved youth and discussed the importance of mental wellness", according to a Tweet from Alliance 412. 

Pitt football's Calijah Kancey and John Hugley served as panelists and volunteers for the event alongside Donald. 

Enjoyed volunteering my time today for @ad99solutions #mentalflexforum," Kancey wrote on Twitter. "Happy to serve as a positive role model for other student-athletes. Thank you @alliance412 for connecting me with this opportunity."

This isn't the first time that Kancey has worked with Alliance 412 for a charitable cause. Last month, when Alliance 412 officially launched, Kancey partnered with the NIL collective to rally donations for the North Shore Food Pantry, which is within walking distance from Heinz Field. 

Alliance 412, which is unaffiliated with the Unversity of Pittsburgh, was founded in April by Pitt alum and booster Chris Bickell. It hopes to "bridge the divide between the University of Pittsburgh student-athletes, brands, influencers, businesses, charitable organizations, and the community to develop and creatively execute Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities." 

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