Iowa has hired former NFL general manager Scott Pioli as a consultant to help the athletics department implement revenue-sharing as part of a series of post-House moves announced Monday.
A 3-time Super Bowl champion, a 3-time Pro Football Writers Association and a 2-time Sporting News NFL Executive of the Year, Pioli last worked as the Atlanta Falcons' assistant GM in 2019. Iowa's announcement said he was retained last fall in preparation for Friday's House approval but was not previously reported.
Pioli got into football as a GA at Syracuse in 1988 and coached the offensive line and defensive line at Murray State from 1990-91 but entered the NFL as a pro personnel assistant for Bill Belichick's Cleveland Browns in 1992. There, he worked alongside Kirk Ferentz, who was then the club's offensive line coach. He'd go on to serve in a variety of executive roles for the New England Patriots from 2000-08, helping the club win the first three of its six Super Bowl rings. That run earned him the GM job for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009-12.
Beyond Pioli, Iowa has also hired Marcus Wilson as senior associate AD for cap management and administration, and Scott Brickman as general manager for NIL strategy, while working alongside Altius Sports Partners to ensure all agreements pass through the NIL Go clearinghouse.
Finally, Iowa also announced Flight Funds, which will effectively serve as the school's in-house collective. From the release:
To further strengthen its financial position and to allow for revenue-sharing, Iowa Athletics has created Flight Funds, a new charitable avenue that allow donors to invest in student-athlete revenue sharing and help Iowa build championship-caliber programs.
Flight Funds will support revenue sharing for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and men’s wrestling, along with a general support Flight Fund. Contributions to the Flight Funds are tax deductible (check with your tax advisor) and count towards athletic ticket priority points but not towards I-Club seating or parking requirements.
"We are eager to embrace this new era of opportunity for Iowa Athletics," AD Beth Goetz said. "We are committed to participating at the maximum level in revenue-sharing with our student-athletes. Through initiatives like Flight Funds and expanded revenue opportunities, we strengthen financial stability while reinforcing our commitment to the success and well-being of our student-athletes.”