Adrian Wojnarowski is used to reporting deals. Now he’s the one that is making them.
Woj recently opened up to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix on his decision to leave ESPN at the height of his insider powers to return to his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, to become the men’s basketball program’s new general manager. Woj was clearly burnt out from his life as an insider and seems to have already found a new lease on life with the Bonnies.
And in just a short time, he’s already made an impact. On Thursday, Wojnarowski announced a long-term partnership with WWE that includes St. Bonaventure legacy belts and more.
Everything my friend and WWE president Nick Khan touches turns to gold – including our new line of St. Bonaventure-inspired WWE legacy belts. Bonnies basketball is proud to begin a partnership joining us with the likes of Michigan, Georgia, Notre Dame. https://t.co/gx7biiZCXl
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 12, 2024
What’s interesting to note here is the connection between Adrian Wojnarowski and current WWE president Nick Khan. Woj was represented by the powerful agency firm Creative Artists Agency (CAA) where Khan served as the company’s top agent and head of television before leaving for WWE. Khan was quickly able to assert himself in the professional wrestling world where he and Paul Levesque (Triple H) are running the show for WWE after the ouster of Vince McMahon.
The Bonnies aren’t only getting belts for fans to buy. Perhaps more significantly, the school has also entered into an NIL partnership with WWE for men’s basketball players and other student-athletes.
Via WWE:
WWE today unveiled St. Bonaventure-inspired WWE legacy title belts featuring the official colors and branding of the Bonnies as part of a multi-year licensing deal struck by St. Bonaventure University Athletics and WWE.
The officially licensed product is now available for pre-order at WWEShop.com and Fanatics.com. St. Bonaventure joins such institutions as Notre Dame, Michigan, LSU, Texas, Penn State and Florida with WWE legacy title belt partnerships.
The partnership includes potential Name Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for St. Bonaventure’s men’s basketball players and student-athletes.
“Our goal is to help connect St. Bonaventure athletics with best-in-class brands like WWE,” St. Bonaventure men’s basketball general manager Adrian Wojnarowski said. “Our fans will love the Bonnies-inspired championship title belts, and our student-athletes will be the beneficiaries of the opportunities that come from our alignment with WWE.”
As Woj mentioned in his tweet, this deal puts the Bonnies in the same class as Power 5 schools like Michigan, Georgia, and Notre Dame. It’s not quite the company you expect from an A-10 school that hasn’t had a football program since 1951. But given his powerful connections throughout sports, Adrian Wojnarowski may be a huge force in helping to put St. Bonaventure on the map nationally.
[WWE]
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