Hokie ClubIt's safe to say that Virginia Tech quarterback Jason Brown never thought an opportunity quite like this one would come up through NIL (Name, Image and Likeness).
With Virginia Tech's partnership with Fanatics, the company responsible for coordinating the program's NIL jersey sales, the Fredericksburg, Virginia, native wanted to find a way to give back the money made instead of using the cash for his own personal profit. Researching possible charities to generously donate 100% of his earnings from each and every purchase of Brown's maroon No. 1 jersey, the Tech sixth-year senior eventually stumbled upon the non-profit organization ASK, a childhood cancer foundation that immediately spoke to the signal-caller's heart.
"About 10 years ago, my younger cousin was diagnosed with [diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG)], which is a tumor located on the lower part of the brain," Brown described when asked what hit home about the Richmond-based organization. "It's really hard to operate on, so we couldn't operate on it through surgery.
"She ended up losing her life when she was five. So ever since then, that's just been important to me, just to be able to try to give back and help people that are in need and that are going through what she was going through."
The whole partnership between the Brown and ASK started with a simple direct message on Twitter that Brown sent the Thursday before the Hokies went on the road for Pittsburgh. And by Friday morning, ASK had answered back with both gratitude and a feeling of appreciation.
"It just kind of hit me one day [that this is what I wanted to do]," he explained. "They were all for it. They said they're all big Virginia Tech fans out there. I've always wanted to give back in a way. I read about a ton of different charities, but I felt like this [one] was the perfect opportunity to do so."
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Although growing up just 60 miles down the road, Brown actually had been completely unfamiliar with the non-profit company prior to coming up with the idea. Launched in 1975, ASK (which stands for Assistance, Support and Kindness) was initially founded by a small group of parents of pediatric cancer patients at Richmond's MCV Hospital.
Originating by collecting books, toys and games to help children pass the time in the clinic while receiving treatment, the organization quickly took off, and has been able to financially make life better for children with cancer for nearly five decades.
"They help out a lot of families in need and a lot of children that are in need," Brown acknowledged. "What they do, what the foundation does…it's amazing."
Despite the misconception around college athletics about the negative impacts of NIL, stories like these certainly can change a skeptic's perception. Using his previous success on the field and likeness within the Tech fanbase, Brown now has an opportunity to reap the benefits and stimulate contributions to a great cause. Something that he, himself, never thought would be a possibility.
"At the start [of the NIL era], I was just thinking about how I could get money for myself," he admitted. "But then, I kind of realized that I want to be able to give back, because that's the type of person I am. This just seemed right."
In spite of all the aforementioned negative connotations that surround the NIL landscape ever since its inception into the NCAA back in 2021, deals like this showcase the best of the best when it comes to NIL.
"[NIL] can really be used for a lot of good depending on how you go about it," he mentioned. "There can be some ways that aren't for the best. But if you think outside of just being on the field, we're also people off the field, as well.
"There's a lot of different ways that it can be used, and I think it can be used for good in a lot of different ways. It just depends on how you approach it."
So, what can fans do to directly contribute to Brown's efforts to help out children in Central Virginia that continue to battle with all different forms of cancer? Well, it's quite simple. A purchase of just one jersey gives fans an opportunity to help a Hokie out in his pursuit of doing good right here in the Commonwealth.
"It makes a huge impact," Brown said regarding fans purchasing jerseys. "It's not for me, it's for all those families that are in need and all the children that are in need. It's going towards a really good cause.
"If [anyone] purchases a jersey, I'd greatly appreciate it. This is just a file to help people out…anything helps, really."