Ohio State has responded after its wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and quarterback Tavien St. Clair appeared at a Life Surge event held at the university’s basketball arena. The response comes as the Christian organization faces allegations of using high-pressure sales tactics to sell expensive financial-education programs.

That creates a massive headache for universities like Ohio State. While NCAA policies allow student-athletes to take these outside deals, schools have almost no control over which third-party groups hire them. When a paid appearance gets linked to alleged predatory sales tactics, the school’s own reputation takes a hit. Ohio State’s quick statement was a necessary move to protect its brand and remind the public that a player’s personal endorsement is not a university stamp of approval.

“All Ohio State student-athletes may attend or make appearances at events of their choosing, provided those activities comply with applicable NCAA and Ohio State policies. The appearance in question was independent of Ohio State. We therefore have no further comment on the matter raised,” the university said, according to journalist Pablo Torre on X.

Torre broke the investigation into this issue on 24 September in an episode of his Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, on the episode titled The Christian ‘Scam’ Fronted by Tim Tebow.

For companies like Life Surge, big-name college athletes are the ultimate hook. Under modern Name, Image, and Likeness rules, players like Jeremiah Smith and Tavien St. Clair can legally make paid appearances at outside events.

Organizers use their star power and photo-ops to build instant trust with fans. When an athlete stands on stage, attendees naturally assume the event is legit, making them much more open to buying whatever high-priced program is being sold in the room.

Torre had contacted the school about the players’ appearances at the event held at the Schottenstein Center. Ohio State’s response makes its position clear, as the university said the appearance was independent of the school and noted that student-athletes can attend outside events as long as they comply with university and NCAA policies. 

Now, neither player’s appearance establishes involvement in the allegations against Life Surge, but it has surely prompted former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow to break ties with the group.

Inside the high-pressure sales allegations

The organization has come under scrutiny following an investigation by Mother Jones and Torre’s Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, which raised allegations that Life Surge pressured attendees to purchase programs on subjects such as stock trading and real estate, which were expensive. 

Some former customers interviewed for the investigation said they felt pressured to spend money they could not afford. According to the reporting, customers were allegedly pushed to put the cost of programs on credit cards or financing costing tens of thousands of dollars.

Life Surge denies doing anything wrong and has pushed back on the claims about how it runs its business. They said that its programs are voluntary and that it maintains compliance safeguards, and have also argued that the reporting did not adequately represent the experiences of its students.

Former Florida Gators QB Tebow’s decision to pause his relationship with Life Surge has brought further attention. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner later played for the Denver Broncos in the NFL. He’s been one of the best-known speakers at Life Surge events.

On September 25, Tebow addressed the controversy publicly and said his team would investigate the allegations before deciding what comes next.

“The allegations are extremely, extremely serious, and it’s something that we take very serious,” Tebow said, according to the Gainesville Sun. “And so, for us, we’re having our team do an investigation, but also pausing our relationship until we can learn more about the facts to be able to understand more.”

The allegations came as a shock to Tebow. His role at Life Surge events, as he put it, was about sharing his Christian beliefs. The reporting has not established that he knew about the alleged sales practices before the investigation became public.

Other names have reportedly stepped away, too, including Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who has cut ties with the organization, and pastor Craig Groeschel, who won’t be speaking at its upcoming events, according to reports.

Smith and St. Clair were invited solely as paid guest speakers under current NIL rules. Neither player has been accused of involvement in the alleged sales practices. Head coach Ryan Day’s program and Ohio State have declined to comment beyond their initial statement that the athletes’ attendance was entirely independent of the university.

At the same time, the Buckeyes are also preparing for their upcoming game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, October 3, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa.

So far, all we can understand is that the allegations against Life Surge remain disputed, and the players’ attendance should not be confused with evidence of wrongdoing.