Schottenstein’s ‘The Foundation’ now live at Ohio State | Sports
The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to support The Ohio State University student-athletes using names, images and likeness to help promote worthy causes, officially launched March 31.
The organization was created by Brian Schottenstein, president of Schottenstein Real Estate in Columbus, and former Ohio State football player Cardale Jones. The program will provide financial support to student-athletes based upon not only their athletic performances but also their classwork and their work with local charities.
Jones and Schottenstein partnered with lawmakers such as Sen. Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg, to push forth state legislation that allows athletes to earn money based upon their name, image and likeness. That legislation was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine June 28, 2021, leading to the creation of The Foundation.
“The name, ‘The Foundation,’ is because of The Ohio State University,” Schottenstein told the Columbus Jewish News. “Foundation stands for a solid base or a solid group of people having The same common goal – to support OSU athletics and The student-athletes.”
[ Schottenstein to launch OSU student-athlete charitable program ]
The current sports served are football and basketball, intending to branch out to other Ohio State sports in the future.
“It takes about a minute to make a donation on our website, thefoundationohio.com and it helps support student-athletes,” Schottenstein told the CJN. “We’re really excited about this. We hope it will be a game-changer, starting with football and basketball. We want to also make this fun for the fans, hosting giveaways and fan engagement opportunities. We want this to be a fun program for sure.”
Student-athletes will also help local charities through the program, Schottenstein said. The organizations are chosen by the board, which currently includes LifeTown Columbus, Buckeye Cruise for Cancer and A Kid Again. He added more organizations will be added as The Foundation develops.
The board includes both Schottenstein and Jones, as well as Corey Schottenstein, managing partner of The Schottenstein Real Estate Group and director of player personnel at The Foundation; Rick Ricart, president of Ricart Automotive Group in Columbus; Scott McComb, chairman, president and CEO of Heartland Bank; attorney Laura Comek at Comek Law in Columbus; former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, who is a quarterback for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League; Jason Parks, president of The Media Captain in Columbus; former NFL player Will Allen; Mike Gogis, founder of Impact Quotient, and director of finance and audit at The Foundation; Skip Weiler, president of The Robert Weiler Company; Kara Falkowski, vice president of real estate at PNC Bank; and Steve Stivers, president and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
Former Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer was also named to the board. Serving as coach from 2012 to 2018, Meyer retired from coaching in 2019 at the end of the Rose Bowl and stayed as an assistant athletic director and was also an analyst for Fox Sports. In 2021, he came out of retirement to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars but was fired 13 games into his first and only season with the team.
“I am friends with Urban and asked him to be on the board,” Schottenstein said. “He is arguably one of the best recruiters of student-athletes of all time and he has done so much for Ohio State. I thought it would be natural to add him, and he said yes without hesitation. Urban is very hands-on and he wants us to be successful. This is really for Ohio State student-athletes. He’s at the top when it comes to his career here. That’s what we’re focused on.”
For more information on The Foundation, visit thefoundationohio.com.
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