Wide receiver at North Carolina HBCU inks Bojangles endorsement deal
North Carolina native and student athlete Ky’Wuan Dukes is making career moves both on and off the football field.
Dukes, a freshman wide receiver at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, is the first athlete from a historically Black college or university to sign an endorsement deal with national chicken chain Bojangles.
The football standout confirmed the news on Twitter earlier this month, alongside photos of himself enjoying the restaurant’s all new Bo’s Chicken Sandwich. Bojangles, which is based in Charlotte, said it’s “thrilled” to add Dukes to its team as a wave of student athletes ink their first Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals.
“Bojangles was born in Charlotte, and we’ve had a longstanding relationship with Charlotte’s only HBCU - Johnson C. Smith University,” Jackie Woodward, chief brand and marketing officer for Bojangles, told McClatchy News in a statement. “We’re thrilled to have Ky’Wuan join Team Bojangles as the first HBCU athlete on our roster, and we look forward to continuing our partnerships with HBCUs and athletes throughout our footprint.”
Specifics about the deal haven’t been disclosed.
In July, the National Collegiate Athletic Association amended its rules to allow “all NCAA D1, D2 and D3 student-athletes to be compensated” for their name image and likeness. Athletes were previously not allowed to do so, with the NCAA arguing that “amateur athletics should remain free of the influences ... of money,” the Associated Press reported.
Dukes, an alum of Statesville High School, isn’t the first collegiate athlete to join team Bojangles. Quarterbacks DJ Uiagalelei of Clemson University and Sam Howell of UNC-Chapel Hill have also signed deals with the brand, according to a news release.
Dukes said the deal is especially meaningful to him because it puts a spotlight on HBCU athletes, who don’t often get the same level of attention as players at predominately white institutions (PWIs).
“It means a lot to be honest,” he told the Statesville Record & Landmark. “It really makes me want to go harder as an athlete and as a person. Me being one of the first ones, especially at an HBCU, is big I feel like because it brings some type of exposure on us HBCU athletes, and I feel like that’s something that we all deserve and need, especially in order to get to the next level.”
The athlete landed a scholarship to play football at Elizabeth City State University, the newspaper reported, but transferred to JCSU after the COVID-19 pandemic ended his freshman season.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Wide receiver at North Carolina HBCU inks Bojangles endorsement deal."