Mark Cuban Funded Mendoza's NIL Deal to Indiana

Mark Cuban, an Indiana University alumnus and billionaire entrepreneur, revealed that he provided financial support for the Name, Image and Likeness deal that brought quarterback Fernando Mendoza to the Hoosiers football program ahead of the 2025 season.

Cuban shared details of his involvement during a recent appearance on the Portfolio Players podcast. The conversation occurred in December 2024 at Indiana's first-round College Football Playoff game against Notre Dame, which the Hoosiers lost 27-17. There, athletic director Scott Dolson, joined by university president Pam Whitten, approached Cuban about a transfer target. "Dolsons like, we've got this quarterback that we really, really like that we think would be great in coach Curt Cignetti's system, we just need a litttttle bit more," Cuban recounted. "I'm like, how much is a little bit? And so he told me, and I'm like, OK, you know, we're on a roll. I'll put up the money to get this quarterback."

Mendoza had spent his first two college seasons at California, where he earned $1.6 million in NIL compensation. His transfer to Indiana came with a reported $2.6 million NIL deal, though Cuban declined to specify the exact amount he...