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Today's NIL spotlight goes to The Collective Engine, CEO Tony Willey,

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born in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Houston as a child.

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He attended Seyfer High School just outside Houston.

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Willey graduated from Texas Southern University with a degree and later earned his MBA from

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Rice University. While attending Texas Southern University, Willey became a game day intern

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for the Houston Oilers in 1991. Willey's job included public relations tasks,

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including interacting with the sports journalists in the Houston Oilers Press Box.

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In 1992, he became a public relations intern with the San Diego Chargers. In 1993, he then

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became a public relations intern for the Dallas Cowboys, where he received a Super Bowl ring

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after the Cowboys victory in Super Bowl XXVIII. In addition to his work with the NFL, Willey was

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also an intern for the Houston Astros from 1991 to 1992. 1990 for Willey replaced David Pearson as

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the assistant director of public relations for the Los Angeles Rams. He remained with the Rams

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when the team moved to St. Louis in 1995, becoming the St. Louis Rams. Willey was the spokesperson

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for the Rams during the transition between cities, handling press requests, and providing media

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responses regarding the logistics of the move from Los Angeles to St. Louis. In 1998, Willey became

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the youngest public relations director in the NFL when he was selected by the Tennessee Oilers as

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their PR director. During his tenure with the Texans, he was awarded the Pete Rizel Award three more

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times in 2004, 2007 and 2010, making him the only executive in NFL history to be awarded the prize

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for his work on three different teams. In May 2010, Willey became a senior vice president with the

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Washington Redskins in charge of the communications department. One of the more controversial decisions

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Willey advised Redskins owner Daniel Snyder on was Snyder's libel lawsuit against the Washington

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City paper. NBC Sports quoted Willey as saying that the move was not done as a part of Willey's

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attempts to manage the team's image, but rather in order to demand better accuracy and responsibility

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by journalist critical of Snyder. In 2019, Willey left the Washington team on his own accord to

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become the regional president and managing director of the Special Olympics North America.

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As a seasoned sports executive, Tony Willey have seen it all in more than 27 years in sports

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management in a career that spans six different ownership groups in seven different media markets.

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The Collective Engine offer NIL, financial literacy, character and leadership development,

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brand strategy, social responsibility, also the Collective Engine, Latino division coming soon.

