Note: Below is a portion of a message from Bubba Cunningham and John Montgomery shared with Carolina fans and supporters. To read the full message, visit GoHeels.com.

Dear Carolina Fans and Supporters,

It has been quite a Fall! As we prepare to cheer on our football program in this weekend’s ACC Championship game and our women’s soccer team in the College Cup – while continuing to celebrate our field hockey program’s undefeated season and 10th national title – we want to take a moment to thank you for all of your support.

You’ve championed our more than 800 student-athletes in every facet of their collegiate experience, and we are incredibly grateful. Meanwhile, the college landscape has evolved significantly over the past couple of years – including the introduction of our student-athletes’ ability to benefit from their Name, Image and Likeness. With NCAA guidance changing recently, we want to make our position clear: We support our student-athletes’ ability to profit from their NIL, we thank those who have already contributed to their efforts to date, and we encourage you to assist the collectives and marketplaces that empower their success.

We remain dedicated to recruiting top student-athletes to Carolina and to building champions in the classroom and in competition. NIL opportunities, which allow student-athletes to profit in exchange for work such as autographs, appearances, promotions, camps and collectibles, are an increasingly important part of the recruiting and retention process. Collectives of individuals and marketplaces can join together to provide NIL opportunities, while NCAA rules prohibit Carolina and its employees from representing student-athletes or negotiating NIL deals on their behalf. Thanks to those of you who already have helped our student-athletes take advantage of NIL by donating to one or more of these groups. For those interested in supporting this effort, there are several ways you can contribute:

• Heels4Life is a collective for UNC Football student-athletes that provides financial, educational and professional development support while facilitating charitable engagements that benefit student-athletes and the Tar Heel community. Learn more here.
• Tri-Cord Management is a collective that facilitates NIL opportunities for men’s basketball student-athletes. Learn more here.
• Tandem works with all current members of Carolina’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball programs to source and structure group licenses for each team’s student-athletes with corporate and individual donors seeking impactful deals that benefit our basketball players while showing meaningful returns to those companies and individuals. To learn more, please contact nil@tandemse.com.
• The Carolina NIL Exchange is an online marketplace that connects our Tar Heel student-athletes from all 28 sports with local, national and global businesses interested in partnering on NIL opportunities. Since August, more than 60 businesses have signed up. If you want to join, you can learn more here.
• We will continue to support other collectives formed to support teams and student-athletes in the future.
• Donations and memberships to The Rams Club will continue to fund scholarships, facilities projects and team support. Nothing prevents donors from supporting any and all additional initiatives, and we hope you will do so.