The notice that The Varsity Collective and its charitable fund are “not affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison” can be found two-thirds of the way into the 300-word news release announcing the group’s formation.
Kudos to the folks at Foley and Lardner, the Milwaukee law firm working closely with the collective, for making that point abundantly clear to any interested readers from the NCAA.
But let’s be real — this is a united front between UW and a group of its athletics donors, with both parties seemingly having a mutual interest in helping the athletic department’s programs keep up in the fast-moving and ever-changing world of name, image and likeness.