Logo of German shoe company, Adidas. (Photo : Reuters)
Adidas announced on Feb 5. that it would give away a Porsche 911 to its top-three fastest players under contract with it, after running a 40-yard dash. However, on Feb. 20, Friday, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee tweeted that the NFL prospect speedsters would get a prize of $100,000 cash instead.
The car was to have a cheetah painted on the side of the vehicle, just as it appears on the Uncaged cleats that Adidas produces. The three receivers of the vehicle were required to complete a 40-yard dash.
What makes the promotion interesting is that participants in the NFL scouting dash were not considering endorsement deals yet, according to Flat Sixes. Instead, they simply wanted to score excellent times and scores.
Having run the distance in 4.33 seconds while wearing footwear manufactured by Adidas, the fastest runner in the contest was Brandin Cooks, who was previously a wide receiver for Oregon State, and then became a draft pick of the New Orleans Saints.
Adidas canceled the promotion that included the Porsche 911s because there was a conflict of interest with the NFL's contract with General Motors, according to Sports Illustrated.
Many outstanding NFL prospects have already signed contracts with Adidas. They include Brett Hundley, UCLA quarterback.
Running backs Ameer Abdullah from Nebraska, and Tevin Coleman from Indiana have also signed with Adidas. The list also includes Tyler Lockett, wide receiver from Kansas State.
To be eligible for the $100,000 prize, the players had to sign with Adidas before the NFL scouting tests.
This was an innovative concept from Adidas, as it was win-win situation for both the athletic shoe company and the athletes.
