“Not Money but Wording”: Noah Lyles Reveals Difficulties of Staggering Adidas Contract

Noah Lyles has ignited the 2024 season with an electrifying start to indoor events, leaving track fans in awe of his remarkable performances. He secured a well-deserved silver medal at the World Indoors in Glasgow, narrowly trailing Christian Coleman, a significant achievement. Lyles also made waves by surpassing record-breaker Christian Coleman at the USTAF Indoor Championships.

Adding to the excitement in 2024, Lyles signed the most lucrative track and field contract since Usain Bolt with Adidas, leaving everyone amazed. As excitement builds with Lyles gearing up for the upcoming outdoor season, he has now discussed the challenges associated with his staggering Adidas contract.

Noah Lyles reveals the struggles of his Adidas deal

In the Journey to Gold Zone Podcast Episode #34 on Spotify, Noah Lyles sat down with hosts Erik Kynard Jr. and Wallace Spearmon Jr. and mentioned his “lucrative” deal with Adidas. The hosts raised concerns with Lyles about “how the legality behind it has been a little vague.” Noah Lyles then expressed his wish for greater transparency in such agreements, given the evolving landscape of track and field.

Despite the challenges, he described the contract as “generational changing,” highlighting the perks that extend beyond the LA Olympics in 2028. Lyles revealed the difficulties he encountered during the negotiation and mentioned how if he had not done what he did at the 2023 World Championships, he would not have seen the numbers offered in the deal. Noah Lyles shared, “The hardest thing to actually fight for in the contract was not money but wording.”

He further shared how he had to fight to keep his ownership rights and shed light on the importance of contractual wording and ownership rights, particularly regarding his social media presence. As we reflect on Noah Lyles’ remarks, let us see another instance where Lyles shared his frustration at being unable to disclose details of his new Adidas contract despite his desire to do so.

Lyles’ desire to share details of his deal

At the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Noah Lyles shared with CITUS Mag in a post-race interview his frustration, stating how disclosing deals with brands has been tough since the beginning of track and field. He shared that initially, people weren’t making money, so to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings, the deals were not disclosed, but now most athletes were getting paid, so “the sport needs to adjust to it.“

Despite this, he humorously teased fans on X when his deal went viral, with most comparing his deal to Usain Bolt’s $10 million Puma deal, saying, “That’s definitely the $10 million question.” With the outdoor track season approaching, fans eagerly await Noah Lyles’ continued success on and off the track and hope to see what’s in store for his partnership with Adidas.

Also read: Riley Gaines Reveals Ugly Side of Team USA to Joe Rogan: “Go Home Empty-Handed, End of Story”