$6 billion tycoon makes shocking admission about Fernando Mendoza's NIL deal at Indiana

$6 billion tycoon makes shocking admission about Fernando Mendoza's NIL deal at Indiana originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Indiana Hoosiers made history last year as college football's first 16-0 team in 132 years. What seemed improbable on the surface after Curt Cignetti's team was blown out by Notre Dame in the 2024 College Football Playoff, all came together in a matter of months.

However, none of what happened for the Hoosiers would've been possible without one key investor who backed Fernando Mendoza's journey to Bloomington.

Mark Cuban was in the suite with Indiana's AD Scott Dolson the night Notre Dame ended Curt Cignetti's first season with the program. The conversation about Mendoza being added to the roster as the Hoosiers started in the wake of a bad defeat. The roadblock for Indiana was money, which Cuban was willing to offer up.

"I'll put up the money and we can go get Fernando [Mendoza]," Cuban said about the conversation with Dolson.

MORE:Shedeur Sanders graduates from Colorado despite never going to class

For the former NBA owner and entrepreneur, this was one of his best investments to date. The funding not only ushered in Mendoza, but also added strength to his alma mater. What many people don't realize is Cuban already knew the Mendoza family before Fernando committed to IU. The rest is now history with Indiana looking to become a traditional power in the Big Ten.