The previous head of UCLA’s soccer title, picture and likeness collective on Thursday denied any impropriety associated to a report that exposed efforts by the varsity’s athletic division to funnel NIL donations by way of his nonprofit charity.
Donating by way of Shelter 37 would offer a tax deduction not out there to these giving on to Bruins for Life — a typical follow within the NIL sphere — however it additionally raised questions on a possible battle of curiosity and the management of funds given James Washington ran Bruins for Life till not too long ago and stays the president of Shelter 37.
The story additionally questioned Shelter 37’s charitable endeavors and recommended that UCLA athletic division officers inspired the evasion of Inner Income Service steerage relating to so-called donor-advised funds, directing cash to Shelter 37 that couldn’t go to different corporations taking a extra conservative strategy with regard to NIL guidelines.
Emails obtained by foiaball.com by way of a public information request confirmed almost a half million {dollars} of donations meant for Bruins for Life going by way of Shelter 37, with college officers requesting that anybody who despatched their cash by way of the latter group to specify that or not it’s earmarked for soccer NIL.
Washington stated there was nothing untoward about an association that was accredited by UCLA and concerned full transparency.
“There’s nothing that’s happening between Shelter 37 and UCLA and Bruins for Life that’s in the closet,” Washington, a former UCLA security who went on to win two Tremendous Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, instructed The Occasions. “Everything has been discussed, every move, every act that I’ve taken toward the NIL, every step — bookkeeping and everything — has been handled and handed over to UCLA.”
In a press release, a UCLA athletic division spokesperson stated that “UCLA athletics operates with integrity and transparency, in a manner that is consistent with industry best practices. Our development team educates potential donors on a range of giving opportunities, including avenues to support our student-athletes.”
In what Washington described as an unrelated transfer confirmed by an athletic division official, UCLA not too long ago shifted its soccer NIL operations to new management, permitting Bruins for Life to pivot into an alumni membership for soccer. Washington stated the Bruins for Life web site was quickly inactive as a part of that transition and that it could nonetheless have an NIL element offering group outreach alternatives for soccer gamers.
Alongside longtime UCLA donor John Manuck, Washington had spearheaded the fundraising efforts of Bruins for Life when it debuted in October 2024 as the brand new NIL arm of UCLA soccer.
“It’s really exciting,” UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond stated on the time, “because it’s going to support our football student-athletes in a real positive way.”
The foiaball.com story contended that the Bruins for Life web site said that it was not a 501(c)(3) group, which means that any donations it accepted weren’t tax deductible. The web site directed these wishing to donate to Shelter 37, a 501(c)(3) group that stated it may obtain tax-deductible contributions.
The story reported that Shelter 37’s 2024 IRS 990 tax kind, printed by ProPublica, confirmed a income leap to $4.8 million in 2024, up from $800,000 the earlier 12 months. The doc said that $3.6 million had been raised for the Bruins for Life NIL program however solely $200 for scholarships for at-risk youth.
Washington stated that latter quantity was deceptive as a result of Shelter 37 was not a scholarship-based group, although it assisted at-risk kids by way of a wide range of group companies. The Occasions reviewed one Shelter 37 tax doc reporting almost a mixed seven figures spent on scholarships, teaching programs and housing.
“This is when people are not fact-checking,” Washington stated, “and they’re just putting stuff out there and they’re just trying to make the story bigger than what it needs to be.”
Over time, Washington stated, Shelter 37 has held many community-based occasions akin to turkey drives, soccer camps for inner-city children and “I’m going to college” days wherein the group paid for buses to move college students to soccer video games on the Rose Bowl.
The foiaball.com story contended that Shelter 37 was used as a workaround for donor-advised funds that had been in limbo. One UCLA athletic division worker, knowledgeable of a denial of 1 donor-advised fund, forwarded the message to different inside fundraisers, together with a message saying, “Just as an FYI. Here is info for Shelter 37 for DAF gifts.”
Washington stated there was nothing unlawful about accepting donor-advised funds and that each transfer made by his organizations was inside the guidelines.
“Any dollar that was given to me, there’s a track record and we have a communication document that shows what came out and how it was received,” Washington stated. “They [UCLA athletic officials] know exactly what came into accounts, they know exactly what came out because everything was disclosed and we were communicating and I was acting as a vessel during the time of the Wild, Wild West to try to help UCLA’s football program succeed in this new era of what we call the NIL.”
