Total Pro Sports
Former NFL offensive tackle Russell Okung is having the last laugh after being criticized for his Bitcoin salary demands a few years ago.
Okung made headlines in 2020 after requesting that half of his $13 million deal be paid in BTC, a move many slammed as reckless, but he looks like an absolute genius today.
The Carolina Panthers paid Okung $6.5 million in cryptocurrency, depositing 240 BTC into his wallet. Back then, the coin was trading at $27,000 per. It topped $60,000 at one point but fell as low as $16,000 in 2022, leaving the OT’s holdings barely above $3 million.
He held firm, storing his BTC in a cold wallet while continuing his crypto advocacy.
Those same coins are now worth over $29 million as the coin surged over $121,000 this week, leaving Okung one of the most successful athlete investors in crypto history. He’s now seen as a visionary despite being mocked when he asked for half of his contract to be paid out in Bitcoin.
Okung has inspired a few other athletes after refusing to play checkers with his salary, opting for chess.
NFL stars such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Trevor Lawrence have also taken advantage of crypto assets, though hardly to the degree of his gamble, which, at the time, certainly seemed like one.
As mentioned above, Russell Okung has been a crypto proponent for several years, preaching financial freedom through decentralization. Now that his decision has been vindicated, he will certainly garner added attention.
