App Allegedly Helps High School Athletes Make Money, Kansas School Warns Against Joining

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Clearwater schools have warned students and student-athletes about a new app that claims to help high school athletes make money.

The Clearwater warning began with a screenshot of text that read: “Hi – someone in Clearwater invited you to join your team’s NIL Club. Join now to see who invited you,” with an attached link to download the NIL Club app.

When students or student-athletes join their team, they create exclusive content on the app that only subscribers can see. Fans, family or friends can pay for a subscription and see the content. “Students create and share content — like videos, updates and articles — for a fee that subscribers have access to,” Mick Assaf, co-founder of NIL Club, said in a statement.

Subscribers have reported a lack of communication and an inability to get refunds from NIL Club to the Better Business Bureau. The company has a 1-star rating from the BBB.

“The most common complaint we hear is about refunds that people haven’t received,” said Taelor Hicks with BBB Atlanta.

Club NIL responded to the confusion with the following: “The confusion expressed by some users, particularly around recurring payments, is often due to a misunderstanding of the subscription model and a lack of familiarity with the details provided on the website.”

We reached out to the Kansas State High School Athletic Association to see if NIL club affiliation will impact a student-athlete’s eligibility, but had not received a response as of press time.

Here is the full statement from Mick Assaf, co-founder of NIL Club:

Subscriptions, not donations: First of all, it is important to clarify that NIL Club operates on a subscription model, not a donation-based system. Supporters such as friends, family, and fans subscribe to gain access to exclusive content created by participating students. Subscriptions can be canceled at any time without any additional charges. The confusion that some people express, especially regarding recurring payments, often stems from a misunderstanding of the subscription model and a lack of familiarity with the details provided on the website.

How the NIL club works: NIL Clubs are student-run and are designed to help high school students, not just athletes, monetize their digital content. Students create and share content—such as videos, updates, and articles—for a fee that subscribers have access to. The revenue from these subscriptions goes directly to the students involved in creating the online experience. There is no affiliation with the schools or use of school resources. Instead, it is an independent platform that gives students the opportunity to share content with their followers and get paid for it.

Response to fraud accusations: While there have been some complaints, mostly related to confusion about how our subscription system works, NIL Club is not a scam. It is a legitimate platform that offers students a way to earn money based on content creation, not athletic performance or donations. One recurring issue seems to be confusion between team-related fundraising and the independent nature of our platform. NIL Club is not affiliated with any school or institution, and we clearly state this on every NIL Club page to ensure transparency.

Commitment to Transparency and Compliance: With tens of thousands of paying customers each month, NIL Club is confident in the value and trust it provides to students and their supporters. While there are very few negative reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), we want to emphasize that these reviews do not reflect the overall satisfaction of our users and cannot be verified as coming from legitimate paying subscribers to the platform. We focus on ensuring that every student is compensated for creating content, and do not prioritize paying for BBB accreditation, as our goal is to continue to effectively support students. We actively work to resolve any issues that arise and strive to improve the user experience.