Russell Okung To Become First NFL Player Paid In Bitcoin

BYCole Blake21.4K Views
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Russell Okung, Bitcoin
Russell Okung is the first NFL player to have his salary paid out in Bitcoin.

Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Russell Okung is set to become the first NFL player to have their salary paid in Bitcoin. Half of the two-time Pro Bowler's $13 million contract will be paid in the viral cryptocurrency. 

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Okung first teased that he was looking to move in this direction, last year, when he tweeted, "Pay me in Bitcoin."

Its mission accomplished for Okung who quote tweeted his own post on Tuesday to say "Paid in Bitcoin."

"I’m freeing myself from fiat," he added. "You can too."

Russell has spoken highly of the cryptocurrency throughout recent years. In December, he tweeted, "Some are in Bitcoin to be another version of Wall Street, I’m in it for radical sovereignty."

In September 2019, he explained, "So many purchase Bitcoin to become cash rich, I bought it to be free from cash."

Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who began surgery on a torn ACL recently, was the first professional athlete to have a portion of his pay come in the form of Bitcoin. In May 2020, he started a GoFundMe where fans could raise money in bitcoin to influence which team he signs with after the end of his contract.

Okung inked a four-year, $53 million deal back in 2017.

[Via]


About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
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