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NFL Athletes
Contract-Based Financing for NFL Players
Contract-based financing is a specialized type of financing that allows a borrower to secure funds using a contract as the basis for a loan. For NFL players, this is often very beneficial as contract-based financing is not dependent on the borrower having a high personal credit-score, income history, or even collateral such as a house. The amount a NFL player can borrow using an NFL loan is determined by the type of contract, size of the contract, and the number of years remaining on the contract. With an NFL player contract in-place, a player can access a percentage of the remaining guaranteed dollars on their NFL player contract.
What Can a NFL Player Use a Contract Loan for?
NFL contract advances are excellent options for players who need funds for various purposes such as:
What is the Process to Applying for an NFL Contract Loan?
Applying for a NFL Contract Advance is a simple and straightforward process. The first step is to submit a loan request which you can do on our Request Financing page. Once the request has been submitted, potential borrowers will go through the process outlined below:
Pre-Qualification
Upon receiving a loan request, the Sure Sports credit team will review the athlete’s contract and request, to determine eligibility. If an athlete’s contract qualifies him/her for a loan, then terms are provided within 1-2 business days.
Proposed Terms Issued
After accepting the loan terms and submitting a signed term sheet along with a credit and background authorization form, Sure Sports will conduct a credit check on the borrower within 1-2 business days.
Client Signs the Term Sheet
After accepting the loan terms and submitting a signed term sheet along with a credit and background authorization form, Sure Sports will conduct a credit check on the borrower within 1-2 business days.
Application Process
The required documents for loan application will be requested within 1-2 business days after receiving the signed term sheet.
Underwriting
The length of the underwriting process is determined by the complexity of the loan and can be as little as 3-5 business days and up to two weeks in some cases.
Credit Decision
At the conclusion of the underwriting process, your loan will either be approved with final terms, declined, or receive a request for additional information.
Loan Documents Drafted
Once final approval has been provided, loan documents are drafted which may take 1-2 business days.
Closing & Funding
The timeline from receiving a full file to closing/funding ranges from 1 week for private-line loans to 2-4 weeks for bank-line loans.
Contract-Based Financing Repayment Terms for NFL Players
Unlike traditional loan options, contract financing provides NFL players with flexibility when it comes to loan repayment. The repayment of a contract advance will be coterminous with the player’s NFL contract, meaning the amount of time a NFL player has to repay the loan will match the amount of time left of the player’s NFL contract.
Most people are not aware that NFL players only receive their income during the NFL season. While this can certainly present a challenge during the offseason, Sure Sports will always customize a NFL player’s loan repayment schedule so the player is only making payments when they are getting paid, between October – May.
Benefits of Contract-Based Financing With Sure Sports
Most traditional banks are reluctant to provide an unsecured contract-based loan to NFL players, leaving these players with few options but to take out high-interest rate loans from private lending companies or sell a percentage of their future earnings to meet current obligations.
Working with Sure Sports, NFL players have access to the speed and ease of working with private lenders where funds are often available in as little as 48 hours following approval. In addition, thanks to Sure Sports relationships with bank partners across the country, NFL players are also able to qualify for unsecured contract-based loans with traditional banks. This access is unique, and due in part to Sure Sports’ deep understanding of the sports and banking industries, as well as relationships in these industries that span decades. The flexibility to provide both private and bank loans to NFL players truly sets Sure Sports apart from other companies in this space.
When a NFL player is looking for capital, regardless of the use of funds, discretion is extremely important. Confidentiality is at the forefront of every Sure Sports loan request. In addition, NFL Players or their advisors will work exclusively with Sure Sports from the initial request until the loan is paid off. This ensures a seamless experience for NFL players and their advisors throughout the entire process.
What about Future NFL Players Preparing for the NFL Draft ?
While a player who has yet to be drafted and sign a contract with an NFL team is not eligible for Contract-based financing, they may be eligible for a pre-draft loan with a specialty finance company such as Sure Sports. Pre-draft loans are available to players who project to be drafted into the NFL in the upcoming draft and have officially declared for the NBA Draft.
An NBA Pre-draft loan is available to help future NFL players train for the combine, travel, and prepare for their upcoming career. NFL Pre-Draft loans are structured as short-term bridge loans which do not require monthly payments, rather the loan will have one balloon payment which is due shortly after the player is drafted into the NFL. At that point, the player has the ability to pay the loan off in-full, or can work with Sure Sports to restructure the loan as a contract-based loan. When moving to a contract-based loan, the player will then have the ability to make monthly payments, paying the loan off over the term of their playing contract.
NFL Player Contract-Based Financing
Case Study
Sure Sports received a request from the business manager of an NFL player looking to secure funding to acquire properties to renovate and build a portfolio of income producing properties.
The player’s credit score did not meet standard requirements from traditional banks, posing a challenge for his management team.
Sure Sports proposed a contract-based loan as his credit score was not needed to qualify, as the player had an NFL contract with guaranteed money still due.
Sure Sports was able to leverage his NFL contract to provide him with a line of credit to capitalize on the opportunities he was presented with to solidify his off-field business portfolio.
Using the player’s NFL contract, Sure Sports was able to offer up to 25% of the remaining guaranteed dollars on the player’s contract, ultimately closing on a reduced amount of 19% of the remaining guaranteed dollars on the player’s contract.
RESULT
Sure Sports provided the NFL player with an unsecured line of credit at 5.50%, allowing the player to have access to funds when needed, and only paying interest on the portion of the funds being utilized.
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