Australian NFL player Jarryd Hayne has garnered the attention of int’l brands despite a rocky performance in his regular-season debut. Hayne left rugby league to pursue an NFL career and is receiving interest from potential partners due to his global appeal, said Jack Bechta, who is the founder and president of JB Sports and Hayne’s U.S. agent. “The opportunities are rolling in,” Bechta said. “I don’t want to list specific companies but you’ll hear of some partnerships soon.” Hayne, who fumbled the ball on his first touch for the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, recently signed his first endorsement as an American football player when he inked a deal with Under Armour. Bechta said that his team is in preliminary talks with a few int’l brands, including companies from the tech and software industry. He declined to identify the brands, adding that both Hayne’s U.S. and Australian teams are highly selective in finding the right partner. “In a perfect world we would like to have just a few long term partners. Quality over quantity,” Bechta said. Hayne appeals to American companies that are looking to gain traction in Australia and other parts of the Southern Hemisphere just as much as to Australia-based brands trying to find a way into California and the wider American market. Despite his global off-field appeal, Bechta made clear that Hayne’s current focus is solely on being a football player.
"We don't want to do anything to take away from that priority," he said. "Football first!"
TAKING ADVANTAGE: From a league perspective, Hayne’s decision to leave the National Rugby League and forgo millions of dollars “is an unbelievable testament to the appeal and the strength of what the NFL stands for,” said Mark Waller, NFL EVP, International. But Hayne’s move to San Francisco also highlighted the NFL’s shortcomings in the Australian marketplace. While the league has a good relationship with its Australian media partners -- ESPN and Channel Seven -- it has a lot more work to do in terms of actual on the ground exposure, Waller said. This includes retail, player appearances and games. “We started a conversation internally about the practicalities of that range of options, but we don’t have a specific plan forward at the moment.” Hayne, whose jersey was a top seller on NFLShop.com last week, is doing more for the NFL in Australia than the league could do for him, Bechta said. As a top rugby league player -- he was the NRL’s player of the year in ’09 and ’14 -- Hayne's face is one of the most recognizable in all of Australia. “The NFL is actually getting a free ride on Jarryd's back and they are taking full advantage of it by selling games into the Australian market,” Bechta said.
