Tom Brady Takes Leading Role in Athlete Council as NIL Landscape Evolves

The hiring of Brady is one of a series of moves by one bank to draw athletes as clients.

Former NFL superstar Tom Brady is taking on a new position in an attempt to meld sports and banking. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

In every team, recruiting matters. That even applies in the business world, where an attempt to combine sports and banking has brought a couple of superstars into that union. An announcement on Wednesday seemed to be the most aggressive fusion of these worlds together and could shift the focus for athletes drawing NIL money. As events of recent times have suggested, athletes could use plenty of help navigating the NIL world.

Brady at QB for new athlete-centered venture?

According to CNBC, JP Morgan Chase hired Tom Brady, the legendary NFL quarterback, to serve as part of their "Athlete Council" designed to help attract and support athletes in money management matters. Brady is the bgigest name, but hardly the only big name, with Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade and current NBA standout Jalen Brunson also mentioned as a conspicous draw for up and coming athletes. Female stars Sue Bird and A'ja Wilson (basketball) and Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan (soccer) have also been named as part of this push.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. formed a council of some of the biggest sports names in the US as part of an effort to manage money for more than half a million college, working and retired athletes across the country. https://t.co/WmnH05DtkS

— Bloomberg (@business) March 18, 2026

Brady, Wade, Brunson, Bird, Wilson, Rapinoe, Morgan, and other athletes yet to be named will serve on this "Athlete Council" which is designed to help establish tools and education for pro and college athletes to help with contract, investments, and the transition to the life after sports.

Athlete Education (and Client Retention) Push

As pro sports careers tend to be of short duration, there have been numerous situations with even high-earning athletes running through money and having significant financial troubles after retirement. Chase is going after inside help to try to both initially draw athletes to their institution and then to come up with tools and educational strategems to help better support those athletes in their financial endeavors.

Tools for NIL Navigation and College Star Assistance

Chase has noted that roughly one in six NFL players declares bankruptcy within 12 years of retirement. JP Morgan head of Wealth Management Kristin Lemkau told CNBC, "We heard a lot of the same thing over and over again, which is a lot of young athletes coming into money very suddenly... develop unsustainable lifetstyles [and] they don't always get great advice around them."

As part of the initiative, JP Morgan Chase will also establish an Athlete Center of Excellence, which is designed to include financial professionals with sports experience, and a content hub which would include helpful tools like checklists for athletes trying to figure out NIL deals or guides for assembling a team of advisors.

Players like Nico Iamaleava, after a multi-school NIL odyssey, could attest to the need for player help in the NIL arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images