According to U.S. Dept. of Education figures, UCLA topped all Big Ten schools by receiving $692 million in donations from 2022-23.
But that zeal for lavishing cash did not carry over to the school’s athletic department, which ranked fourth from the bottom of the conference with just $16 million in donations over the same period.
Like a quarterback calling an audible, Chase Griffin wants to change those financial fortunes for his Bruins teammates.
“Our No. 1 goal,” said the backup quarterback who has long been a star in the name, image and likeness space, “is to make UCLA football the best team in the Big Ten.”
Griffin unveiled his plans for the transformation Thursday night at the W Hotel near campus when he launched the 1919 Players Fund before a group of partners in the venture and roughly half the football team.
The player-run NIL fund, whose name is a nod to the year the school was founded, aims to help the Bruins build …