Snoop Dogg‘s youth football league—aptly called Snoop’s Youth Football League (SYFL)—is producing greatness. According to the Los Angeles Times, a 9-year-old boy named Ghalee Wadood Jr. has signed a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with the Family 4 Life sports and entertainment agency worth six figures. But it’s business as usual for the young man.
“Ain’t nothing changed,” Ghalee Wadood Sr., the boy’s father, said. “Like now, we just finished eating dinner. We’re doing an interview, we’re on the phone. Then he’ll go back in his room and play Madden and get on the phone with his boys and have a big ol’ group chat. He doesn’t really know what’s going on.”
The SYFL was started in 2005 by Snoop Dogg and Wadood Sr.’s older brother, Khalil Wadood, the commissioner of the league. Wadood Sr., who periodically servces as a volunteer coach, returned this season when his son was finally old enough to play tackle football.
After the deal was announced, Snoop tweeted the news (although it’s been deleted). Wadood Sr. also posted on Instagram: “Thank you to the Village and The Team. These past couple days have been what we envisioned a long time ago. Still a long way to go, but the mission will get accomplished. Couldn’t have done any of this without @lilghalee @unc_f4l @snoopdogg @westlawadu_ @bigu1 @footballvillenation @theoraclekmac1 #OurTeamvsYoTeam.”
He’s also seizing the opportunity to teach his son some valuable life lessons.
“There’s a lot of business going on behind this,” Wadood Sr. said. “Like, we’re getting a lot of attention for football and how good he is athletically, and that’s great. We love the attention, but it gives us a chance to start teaching the kids at a young age financial literacy, businesses and ownership.”
For now, Wadood Jr. is focused on football, but his father encourages him to pursue other things. He added, “He’s just a kid and we’ll continue to let him live his life and live his dream. But we’re going to continue to push the business end, you know just thinking outside of the box because we don’t want him to put all his marbles into making it in the NFL. I’m just trying to open him up to seeing other things other than just sports.”
Snoop Dogg raps about his goal to have a football league in the 2017 single “Promise U This.” He spits, “Didn’t forget where I came from, went back to the hood/Signed n####as, gave jobs and I made bail/And kept a lot of m############ from goin’ back to jail/Retail, hoe sale, OG’s won’t tell/Oh yeah they will, oh yeah they will/But I paid no mind I get back on my grind/I had a football dream to have a football league and I did that.”
Oh yes he did.