Armstrong: Coming soon to a McDonald’s near you

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to pull up to the Golden Arches and make a drive-thru order that goes, “I’ll have a Double McArmstrong with cheese, large Brennan fries and a Quarterback milkshake … I guess that would be a No. 5.”

How cool is it for football fans living in Charlottesville and the Shenandoah Valley, where Virginia’s quarterback has added McDonald’s franchises in the area to his NIL portfolio?

Brennan Armstrong, who wears No. 5, has signed a deal through Virginia’s collective with RAHE, Inc, which is a partner of the alumni collective.

“We were very intentional in how we went about this first NIL opportunity,” said Rick Hendricks, owner of RAHE Inc. and the restaurants scattered throughout the region. “We wanted to create an experience that would benefit the athlete and be fun for UVA fans. As a lifetime UVA football fan myself, it’s really exciting to partner with Brennan and we’re looking forward to working with him throughout the upcoming year.”

Armstrong, one of the leading returning passers in the nation, has a deal with RAHE that will have him promoting McDonald’s on social media. The area franchise plans to have the UVA quarterback to feature a celebrity meal, which would be only the third known such meal in the fast-food franchise’s history.

Travis Scott, a rapper whom I have to confess I have no knowledge of, released a “Cactus Jack Meal” in 2020. From what I was told, that meal was nothing to write home about: a quarter pounder with cheese topped with lettuce and bacon, a side of fries with barbeque sauce and a Sprite.

The only other McDonald’s celebrity meal was the McJordan, named after you know who, back in 1992. It was also a quarter pounder with a special barbeque sauce.

Hendricks hasn’t announced any specifics about the Armstrong meal, but we guarantee it will be a hit, at least amongst Wahoos.

“I am really grateful for this sponsorship opportunity,” Armstrong said in a release. “I am especially looking forward to visiting the Ronald McDonald House this year. It was important to me to incorporate community engagement into my first major NIL deal.”

It is gratifying to note that Hendricks and Armstrong have tied their relationship to a local charity, the Ronald McDonald House in Charlottesville, whose mission statement is to lessen the burden, reduce stress, keep the family intact and enhance the quality of life for families whose children face health issues.

The Ronald McDonald House provides affordable housing and meets other critical needs in a caring home-like atmosphere.

In the wild, wild west of NIL that changes by the minute, it is satisfying to see a case that makes sense. Just the other day, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud signed an NIL deal that gave him a $200,000 Mercedes G Wagon that he can swap out for another vehicle every 45 days.

Good for Stroud. Good for Armstrong. We believe Armstrong did it the better way by including a charity.

On3.com, a somewhat new national sports website which I have grown to like, said that Armstrong’s NIL Valuation is now worth $346,000, which ranked him No. 95 on its Top 100. He’s also No. 77 in On3’s college football NIL rankings because of his 11,800 social media followers (with a $306 per post valuation). If you can figure out that equation, step to the head of the class.

Anyways, Armstrong’s valuation has leaped by more than $228,000 over the past 14 weeks according to On3.

Good for McArmstrong. Good for McDonald’s. Even better for Ronald McDonald House.

Can I get some ketchup with those Brennan fries, please?