Deestroying Partnership with the NFL
Former UCF Kicker and content creator, Deestroying, partnered with the National Football League to run 1-on-1s in five cities. In the past two weeks, Dee toured Denver, New Orleans, Washington, Buffalo, and Minnesota to find out which city has the best wide receiver and defensive back.
Ineligibility Revoked
Deestroying, Donald De La Haye, had dreams of becoming a kicker in the NFL. His dream was taken away from him by the NCAA in 2017. The NCAA took away his eligibility because of his YouTube channel. Dee made content while in college showing what it’s like to be a college athlete and was getting paid by YouTube for his videos. Before the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) was established in 2021, college and high school athletes couldn’t get paid by any brand.
Dee broke the NCAA rule of being paid by a company which led to a decision between him and the NCAA. The NCAA told him he had to delete his YouTube channel to stay on the team, but Dee chose to keep his YouTube channel, forfeiting NCAA eligibility.
1-on-1s Tour
Some may think Dee’s decision to give up football over YouTube was foolish, but he turned a negative into a positive. He has been traveling all over the United States, allowing people to win 10,000 dollars in 1-on-1s. His format in the 1-on-1s is that he has an evaluation round of about 40+ competitors on offense and defense. Receivers who are picked in the evaluation round will receive a red band, while defensive backs will receive a blue band.
After players receive their bands, there is a bracket to match a receiver vs a defensive back. The rules are if the receiver catches the ball he moves on to the next round, but if he doesn’t, the defensive back moves on. The competition keeps going on until one man is left standing, who will be given $10,000.
Dee brings out everyone to these events. People like Former NFL MVP Cam Newton, Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, and even the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell have shown up to previous 1-on-1 games. Dee is bringing attention to the event players, giving them the platform to display their talents. He even once had a player receive a scholarship from a D1 school after winning the tournament.
Dee currently has 5.26 million subscribers on YouTube. His commitment to his YouTube channel changed his life. Even though he didn’t get to live out his dream of being a kicker in the NFL, he got to partner with them changing other people’s lives.
Feature Photo: via instagram @deestroying