Gene J. Puskar-Pool/Getty Images. Pictured: Charles Woodson.
NFL Hall-of-Famer Charles Woodson will be FOX Bet’s newest brand ambassador, the two parties announced Tuesday, joining a growing list of high-profile sportsbook ambassadors.
Woodson’s ambassador duties accompany the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year’s role as an on-air talent for FOX’s coverage of the upcoming football season. Woodson, a Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers and a nine-time Pro Bowler, will serve as an analyst for the FOX NFL Kickoff program each Sunday morning.
“Whether on the field or off it, I always look for new ways to supercharge the sports experience for football fans,” Woodson said in a statement. “My new team at both FOX Bet & FOX Sports share in my commitment to that approach and I am looking forward to a very exciting 2021 season.”
Michigan Connection
Woodson’s ambassador role reaffirms FOX’s investment in Michigan. The only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, Woodson stared for three years at the University of Michigan and was the fourth overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft.
FOX Bet is live in Michigan, Colorado, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. FOX has priority broadcast rights to NFC games and has promoted its online sports betting and iGaming products to fans in these markets including the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.
This cross promotion offers fans a “riveting sports-viewing experience” by integrating sports wagering content within both the FOX Bet app and television broadcast, the company said in a statement.
As with other leading FOX personalities, Woodson will also contribute to the FOX Bet Super 6 app, a free-to-play contest available across the country. Super 6 has drawn nearly 100 million contest entries across a user base exceeding 5 million.
Since launching before the 2019 NFL season, the Super 6 app has paid out more than $5 million in prizes.
Ambassador Roster Grows
Woodson joins a talented list of former star athletes-turned FOX Bet brand ambassadors.
Fellow analysts and NFL Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Shannon Sharpe have helped promote the FOX Bet sportsbook and Super 6 app. World Series champion David Ortiz and NASCAR series champion Clint Bowyer are also FOX and FOX Bet personalities, analysts and ambassadors.
Woodson’s ambassador deal comes after a growing wave of similar partnerships across the growing U.S. sports betting landscape.
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neil announced Monday he would join WynnBet as an ambassador. Charles Barkley, another Basketball Hall of Famer and fellow TNT analyst, has represented FanDuel since last year.
Wayne Gretzky, who is joining TNT as an analyst for its NHL coverage, is a BetMGM brand ambassador. Lionel Messi, whose greatness on the soccer field is perhaps only eclipsed by Gretzky on the ice, represents Hard Rock and its digital gaming platforms.
Other notable deals include former NFL quarterbacks Drew Brees PointsBet) and Brett Favre (TwinSpires) as well as running back Marshawn Lynch (BetMGM) and wide receiver Chad Johnson (WynnBet). On Tuesday BetRivers also announced former NFL Hall of Fame coach and player Mike Ditka was also signing on as a brand ambassador.