On Tuesday, NFL Tackle Russel Okung and Strike announced a partnership that will pay a sizeable share of Okung’s NFL $ 13 million in bitcoin.
Last May, Okung pressured his former and current NFL teams to pay in bitcoin. After contacting the founder of Strike Jack Mallers and working with the Carolina Panthers front office, this is now a reality.
Okung said Bitcoin Magazine Last September, at a meeting with Ed McGuire, the Charger player’s executive vice president of football administration and finance, he drew expressionless looks when he mentioned bitcoin. “I asked if they could pay me in bitcoin,” he recalled. “With that stoic face, he looked at me and said, ‘What the hell is bitcoin?'”
With this announcement, Okung becomes the first professional athlete to receive bitcoin as payment for his fieldwork.
For Okung, it’s about taking back power. By being paid in bitcoin, he is now able to claim “a power that is rightfully ours”. He also dedicated his time and energy to Bitcoin Is_, a project that aims to “find people where they are and unpack bitcoin in a very simple way”, he described the Bitcoin Magazine.
Mallers shared with us that several NBA, MLB and NFL athletes are on board to be paid in Bitcoin and they have even been contacted by several Billboard Top 500 artists about receiving part of their bitcoin salary.
This announcement goes beyond Russ and his team. Today, Strike is offering users early access to this payday solution at payday.strike.me.
