“I Wasn’t Talking to My Mom”: Overwhelmed by NIL Deals, Millionaire Bijan Robinson Makes an Honest Confession

As a Texas Longhorn, Bijan Robinson came to be known as one of the finer running backs in recent times. The 2023 Atlanta Falcons draft had established a firm presence to earn a NIL valuation of $1.8 million by his collegiate career end. The numbers thus led Robinson to become one of the top 4 football players on the NIL roll. However, the budding NFL star reveals that the rise to the pinnacle wasn’t always a smooth sail.

“It became like really stressful for me live with the brand news,” he states upon being asked about the impact of juggling multiple roles. Further revealing the grueling run of student-athletes, Bijan Robinson sheds light on the challenges NIL deals carried.

A walk through the unforeseen path

In a talk presented by C4 Energy Drink, Bijan Robinson reasoned his stance by offering the tight schedule and routines he had to navigate through each day. “I got school, I got to study for tests, I got practice… I got to go in with my coach to watch film, like, I got so much stuff like that I had to do, I had to make sure I was talking to my family,” Bijan Robinson says.

But what got to the Doak Walker awardee was a stretch of a period that fuelled doubts about his decision. “There was a point where like, I wasn’t talking to my mom. I was gonna talk to her like, once every, like three weeks. And it was because I was not trying to ask my mom, like, I felt I was just too tired, mentally and physically,” he adds. “And, you know, for me, there was a point in time when you know that stuff really, you start thinking like, Why? Why am I doing all this stuff?” 

That very question, Bijan Robinson believes, helped him learn a valuable lesson. To inculcate not just in the collegiate setting but the one beyond as well.

Takeaways for Bijan Robinson in his words

As much of a blessing NIL has proven to be, it has held its unkind consequences as often iterated. Bijan Robinson reveals the commitments on deliverables and commercial baskets were overwhelming enough to pull out. “By the end of my sophomore year, it started to get really hard. And I just had to sit back,” he recalls. The constant reminders proved to take a toll on the athlete’s mental health. This is where the football star knew he had to stop and realize, that saying ‘no’ was quite alright. 

Also Read: Falcons’ Bijan Robinson Vows to Fulfil Tyreek Hill’s Failed Promise

“I think the learning lesson that I had to you know accept was… being okay with you know, my well-being and my health.” Bijan Robinson learned the value of self-care the hard way. But standing on a stage he does, it was an important one nonetheless. 

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