Incoming freshman Xavier Payne leveraged his NIL wealth to flash luxury cars and designer jewelry, proving Deion Sanders’ "look good, play good" mantra starts before kickoff.
Deion Sanders has always taught his players one thing about carrying themselves in life.
"If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good," he has said often. But one of his incoming recruits took the standard to a whole new level.
Colorado Buffaloes Xavier Payne freshman offensive lineman used some of his NIL money to splurge on prom night. No typos at all. One of the latest trends with the newest generation is big events. They say if you got it, flaunt it. Payne did just that.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Payne showed off $225,000 in assets for one night. Not on his 21st birthday, college graduation or wedding, but prom. One night with nearly six-figures blown right off the bat to celebrate the end of high school. To say this younger generation of folks are different is an understatement.
So what did Payne buy to rack up a bill equivalent to a nice luxury car? He already has a six-figure NIL deal, which allowed him to go all out.
Payne arrived in an $180,000 Mercedes-Benz. I don't know about you, but most of us were lucky if our parents let us keep the car out past midnight. He wore a $2,500 custom suit, $1,100 Christian Louboutin shoes, and to top it all off, $40,000 for a vintage Cartier watch. Payne spent about $10,000 dollars for the big night outside what he already owns.
"I just decided, I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right, and I'm going to do it big," Payne told WSJ.
This is the side of NIL deals people will start talking about more and more over the next five years. The generation of high school millionaire athletes is upon us, and some of them couldn't care less about buying a house or trying to invest. As long as prom night is lit, that's what it's all about. Must be the Money, right?
Payne might be one of the rare athletes able to pull off a truly memorable prom formal. They say, "It ain't tricking if you got it." Let's just hope the three-star Florida prospect can have the same attention to detail next season with the Buffs. Colorado beat out other Power Four schools, including Florida State, Arkansas, Miami, Tennessee, and Florida for Payne's commitment.
