Playbooks and Portfolios: Bengals Center Ted Karras and The Cincy Hat

A player-founded nonprofit (Cincy Hat) scaled to $4M in sales using NIL monetization and a single full-time operator, now building IDD housing.

• Cincy Hat's scale: A hat Ted Karras made for teammates in 2021 has sold over 100,000 units and raised $4,000,000, funding housing for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities.
• Lean operation, four income streams: The foundation runs on one employee (Matt Reaney) plus Karras's donated NIL earnings (~$800,000 raised via Angeline Wellington), donations, and events.

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