Tennessee Football Players Donate NIL Earnings to Local Community Center

Tennessee football players have donated some of their NIL earnings to a local community center.

Tennessee wide receiver Travis Smith Jr. (80) during Tennessee football practice, at University of Tennessee, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee football players have donated some of their NIL earnings to a local community center.

Name, image and likeness has become a burning topic in the college football world, especially with how much some of these athletes are making at the collegiate level. While some would argue a lot of bad has come out of players being paid, not everything is bad.

The latest example of a good thing to come out of players earning NIL money is Tennessee football players Travis Smith and Jadeon Harmon each donating $5,000 to the Wesley House Community Center in Tennessee.

"I just wake up every day and think how blessed we are to play for Tennessee football," Harmon said. "Thinking where I came from, some kids aren't as fortunate as us, and they wake up and don't even know what they are going to eat the next day. Anything to support them and help the community is what me and Trav intended to do."  

Above and beyond.@JaedonHarmon10 and @Travis_Smith_Jr might be freshmen, but they're already impacting the Knoxville community.

They each donated $5,000 to the Wesley House Community Center!

📰 » https://t.co/zXJ3poxOTM#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/3anhtqCBFv

— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) July 23, 2025

The non-profit organization empowers and enriches lives with educational programs for youth and seniors in the community. In 2020, Wesley House continued to expand their service by establishing the Emerging Needs program to provide local citizens with food and clothes.

"Just seeing kids excited about something to do for playing football makes you want to work even harder," Smith said. "Being servants—it's ok to help people out and help other organizations. I hope they look up to us as people who gave back, so when they are in a position once older, they can do it as well."  

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