Former Colorado coach claims he had meetings with Saudi Arabia's PIF for NIL assistance

A former Colorado Buffaloes football staff member resigned from his position over a disagreement with the administration’s handling of its name, image and likeness strategy, which included him trying to get Saudia Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to assist the program. 

Trevor Reilly, who served as special teams coordinator with the Buffaloes under head coach Deion Sanders, gave Sports Illustrated his resignation letter in which he claims he attempted to raise NIL funds, including trips to Saudia Arabia and Jordan to meet with the PIF, which created LIV Golf, among other sports ventures. 

The PIF has been accused of "sportswashing," an act to distract from unethical practices. 

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Trevor Reilly of the New York Jets takes to the field through the tunnel before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium Jan. 3, 2016, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

"You paid me $90,000 a year and let me handle special teams," the letter says, according to Sports Illustrated. "I did all this work in your name and was told to pursue it. I burned through all my contacts in my Mormon community, which is worth about $3 trillion. Now, I can't get these people to answer my calls because I just found out today that none of my endeavors will happen.

"I even went to Saudi Arabia and got a meeting with the Saudis, who were interested in pursuing business. I have email receipts to prove it, and you guys let it fall flat on its face."

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CBS Sports reached out to Colorado, which noted that Reilly "acted on his own accord and is no longer an employee of the university."

Reilly didn’t just speak to Sports Illustrated about his actions. He went on ESPN 700 in Utah, noting he traveled to Amman, Jordan, and met with the Jordanian government in 2023 during the holiday season. Reilly also claims he met with the Saudi Tourism Authority. 

"I spent two months and a lot of my own personal money and a lot of my time I sacrificed," Reilly said. "I spent Christmas in a Turkish bathhouse in Amman, Jordan. Saying hi to my kids. 'Hey, I'll see you in a couple weeks.'"

New England Patriots linebacker Trevor Reilly on the sidelines during a game between against the Miami Dolphins Dec. 11, 2017, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Reilly added that he had issues with Blueprint Sports, the organization that operates Colorado’s NIL collective, 5430 Alliance. Blueprint Sports works with several NIL collectives throughout the country, including Penn State and Arizona. 

"They’re Wall Street people. They don’t know football," Reilly said. "Football is a different language. All of you out there who played college football or have been around it as big-time fans, you know that the language and the way that we operate and the commitments and the time, it’s just a different animal. You don’t go home at 5 o’clock. We work on Saturdays and Sundays."

Reilley was an NFL linebacker after playing his college ball at Utah. He was a seventh-round draft pick by the New York Jets in 2014. 

Reilley played sparingly over two seasons with the Jets, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, collecting one sack and 43 combined tackles over 37 games. 

A Colorado Buffaloes helmet during a game against the Arizona State Sun Devils football at Mountain America Stadium Oct. 7, 2023, in Tempe, Ariz. (Bruce Yeung/Getty Images)

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He originally teamed up with Sanders in 2021 as a graduate assistant at Jackson State before moving with him to Boulder in 2023. 

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