These days, top college athletes earn NIL money that rivals pro contracts, and players with massive followings are treated like cultural icons. But back in 2017, having an online presence could tank your career. Just ask Donald De La Haye — better known as Deestroying — who lost his scholarship and his spot as UCF’s kicker because his YouTube channel got too popular.

The channel began as a creative outlet between classes and football practices.

“I didn’t see anything wrong with what I was doing,” he says. “I was a marketing student applying what I learned.” The NCAA didn’t see it that way.

After months of back-and-forth, De La Haye was given an ultimatum: stay at UCF or keep making videos. “YouTube wasn’t as big back then,” he says. “Nobody thought you could make a career out of it. I just had a hunch things would work out.”

And they did. Deestroying now has more than 6.4 million YouTube subscribers, 3 million Instagram followers and a career path few had envisioned. With that audience came real income — mainly through YouTube advertising, which he calls “very lucrative,” along with brand deals and even a stint with the San Antonio Brahmas in the UFL.

He credits his success to his “realness,” believing his content reflects an authentic love of sports. At the same time, he saw an opportunity others were ignoring.

“There were a ton of basketball and soccer creators overseas, but nobody was capitalizing on football,” he recalls. “I saw my window, and I jumped into it.”

Staying relevant, he says, requires constant evolution.

“I feel like people get comfortable doing the same thing when it works the first time,” he says. “But fans get tired of that. You have to keep up with what’s popular and be constantly changing.”

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Deestroying the status quo

De La Haye didn’t grow up around wealth, so he had to learn financial discipline in real time.

“A lot of people come up, make a bunch, spend a bunch, and before they know it, there’s nothing left,” he says. “I wanted to make sure I had something for the future and start building real generational wealth.”

That mindset led to his biggest business move yet: a $1 million investment in Fat Tuesday’s, the frozen specialty drink chain known for its to-go daiquiris. He discovered the brand while filming at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, connected with CEO Alex Monahan, and told him to reach out if he ever needed investors.

Two weeks later, the phone rang. “He was like, ‘Were you serious?'” De La Haye says, laughing. After reviewing the numbers and talking through the deal, the two came to an agreement.

Today, Deestroying owns the Tempe and Westgate Fat Tuesday’s locations in Arizona — and he’s far from done.

“I’m grateful for the two stores I have, but I want to own more,” he says. “And I want to use my platform to bring more people through the door and grow those checks.”

He also wants athletes and influencers in similar positions to think bigger.

“They already do merch and all that, but actually getting involved in a business and finding ways to amplify it is a no-brainer, especially if you have equity and real stakes in it,” he says. “Content doesn’t last forever. Clout doesn’t last forever. So if you can find something that puts food on the table and helps you make money outside your posts online, that’s a really good idea.”

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