The Nebraska Board of Regents last week "approved a new 11-year deal" through '28 with Adidas, according to Brent Wagner of the LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR. The deal is worth $128M -- split between about $64M in cash and $64M in "athletic apparel and equipment products." Compared with the previous agreement, the increase goes from $1M to $3.5M for "cash the first year," and $3.4M to $5M in "product." Nebraska AD Shawn Eichorst said that the school "did not receive offers from other companies, such as Nike or Under Armour." Adidas Dir of NCAA Sports Marketing Jim Murphy said that Nebraska's deal is the "largest contract for an Adidas school." As part of the extension, Adidas will use "information gathered from the Nebraska Athlete Performance Laboratory in making its products." The brand also will be seen more in Nebraska's "facilities and locker rooms." There will be "more special events, or special moments during games, where Adidas is involved" (LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR, 8/12). In Omaha, Rick Ruggles noted the deal "comes after Adidas lost major programs UCLA and Michigan last year" to Under Armour and Nike’s Jordan Brand, respectively. The school also announced that the athletic department would contribute $5M annually to "non-sports scholarships" beginning in '18-19 (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD).
