A young athlete has secured a check for his talent before turning double digits.
Ghalee Wadood Jr., a 9-year-old who plays for Snoop Dogg’s Youth Football League, inked a six-figure name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with sports agency Family 4 Life — making him the youngest from the youth league to sign a contract — according to Los Angeles, CA-based KTLA-5, an affiliate of The CW Network.
In addition to signing Wadood Jr., Family 4 Life represents NFL players from the New England Patriots, the San Francisco 49ers, and the New York Giants.
“It’s kinda surreal,” said the child’s father, Ghalee Wadood Sr., who is an associate manager for high school football within the Los Angeles Rams group, according to the outlet. “It’s humbling and exciting for [the agency] to see his potential and want to manage him.”
The outlet notes that Wadood Jr. showed his skills on the field early on after being named Snoop Dogg’s MVP in his debut season playing tackle football.
“For him to win that, in his first year, it just speaks volumes,” Wadood Sr. said. “No first-year kid has ever won such a prestigious award in a really competitive league.”
On the heels of signing his new deal, the 9-year-old is set to train for the upcoming season. However, his father wants him to not miss out on his childhood.
“I just want him to stay on the course and hope he doesn’t get too satisfied too early and continues to work hard,” he said.
Back in 2005, Snoop Dogg founded his youth league, which has featured the likes of the New England Patriots’ JuJu Smith-Schuster and Los Angeles Chargers’ Daiyan Henley. What’s more, Wadood Jr.’s uncle is a former commissioner for the Snoop Youth Football League. The 501(c)(3) non-profit aims to provide inner-city kids with youth football and cheer opportunities, per its website.
