Jaguars' QB Trevor Lawrence and Adidas Announce NFT Auction For Jacksonville Charities
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence continues to make an impact in his new community, despite having been in town less than a week. Lawrence, combining the efforts of his multiple national endorsement deals, is putting them to good use to support Jacksonville charities.
Adidas announced the sale on their Twitter page and website, revealing futuristic-looking rookie cards. They will be sold and auctioned off as NFT’s. Non-fungible tokens have taken the market by storm in recent weeks. To make an incredibly difficult and complex explanation short, NFT’s are essentially digital pieces of artwork, trading cards and even autographs. They can be copied, but only one person owns the original.
The NFT’s released by Adidas—which will exist as a 3D digital card—show a profile of Lawrence with the phrase “First Pick Since Day One” on the front side. The back side shows a young Trevor Lawrence at an Adidas event, hands on a trophy. They will be up for auction and an open edition, beginning May 6 at 10 a.m. EST and can be purchased and/or bid on here.
The auction portion of the event will allow fans to bid on the NFT with the winner also receiving a physical copy of the card and a signed first edition of Lawrence’s player-edition cleats with Adidas. The open-sale edition will allow fans to buy one of the NFT’s outright for $100. All of the net sales will go towards charities in Jacksonville.
“I’m thrilled at the chance to use my platform and partnerships to help support the community that will soon be my home,” Lawrence said in a statement. “It is important for me to give back to this city that has already given me so much and I am excited to find a way to involve the fans in this special commemorative moment.”
According to Ben Fischer—who covers the business side of the NFL for Sports Business Journal—this “collaboration is the first initiative” in the partnership between Lawrence and Adidas.
As we reported here at Jaguar Report, ahead of the draft, Lawrence signed a multi-year deal with Adidas, a brand he has long supported. The deal was in the work for weeks and Lawrence was seen sporting Adidas gear at the Master’s Tournament, along with fellow Adidas athlete, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Lawrence also released an exclusive set of trading cards, designed by his brother, through trading card company Topps. They were snatched up quickly, and are now on sale primarily on auction sites for significant mark-ups.
Additionally, after Jaguars fans raised money for wedding gifts for Lawrence, leading to donations to a charity of his choice, Lawrence and his new wife Marissa promised an additional $20,000 to local Jacksonville charities. After the Jaguars selected Lawrence No. 1 overall last Thursday night, the new quarterback thanked fans for their support and promised to continue to help the team, franchise and city.
“I couldn’t be more excited; I think it’s a great fit. Me and my family, we are just so excited to get down there. Thank you guys for all the support already. We’re not even there yet, and we definitely feel the love and support. Really excited just to bring some energy to the city and do everything in my power to get us back to where we want to be. Thank you guys so much. This is going to be a really fun year and just know that once I get there, all my focus, all my attention is to making us the best we can be, so thank you guys.”
