No. 1 Draft pick Jadeveon Clowney has signed an endorsement deal with Puma. 

The South Carolina defensive end was selected No.1 overall by the Houston Texans last night.

The news initially reported by ESPN did not state the terms of the deal.

Puma does not have a deal with the NFL, so Clowney will not be able to wear Puma cleats in game.

“He represents everything we are and the consumer we are trying to attract,” said Jay Piccola, president of Puma North America, who presented Clowney with custom snakeskin Puma shoes valued at $2,500.

“I’m going to try to carry my name as far as I can,” said Clowney, who also has signed a draft-week deal with Gillette and longer-term deals with New Era and Wilson. “I’ll have a new hit for you too. Stay tuned. It’s going to come.”

Clowney joins Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles as other Puma endorsers in the league.

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Russian aircraft manufacturer Russian Helicopters, whose principal shareholder is aerospace holding company Oboronprom, has inked a sponsorship deal with CSKA Moscow.

The deal was first reported by Inside World Football.

“I’m persuaded that our cooperation will help the team and bolster the performance of Russian sportsmen,” said Alexander Mikheev, the Russian Helicopter’s chief executive.

“The support provided by the representatives of a major Russian industry is very important to us,” said Yevgeni Giner, CSKA’s owner and chief executive.

Mikheev said that Russian Helicopters are interested in maintaining good relations with Russia’s armed forces, which is another reason for supporting CSKA. The club used to be Army-run in the Soviet times.

JTG Daugherty Racing have announced Hungry Jack pancake mixes and breakfast syrups, help which are part of The J.M. Smucker Company, treat will sponsor the team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Hungry Jack will have prominent positioning on the No. 47 Chevrolet SS race car during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events live on ESPN at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, allergist August 31, 2014, and the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 16, 2014. The brand will also have presence as an associate partner for the remainder of the season, including in-store opportunities for its retail partners.

“We are excited about our new partnership with Hungry Jack, a brand that keeps everyone feeling satisfied with delicious, homemade meals.” JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner Brad Daugherty said. “The Hungry Jack brand has been committed to providing high quality products for more than 60 years. JTG Daugherty Racing is known for being affiliated with some of the best sponsors in the business, and we are proud to add Hungry Jack to the mix.”

NFL draft prospect Michael Sam has signed his first endorsement deal with Visa, ESPN has reported.

The American multinational financial services corporation has partnered with Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year out of Missouri, who could become the first active openly gay NFL player.

Visa’s chief marketing officer Kevin Burke told ESPN.com: “We felt that Michael’s story was a perfect fit for our ‘everywhere’ campaign, which is meant to inspire people to reach their own personal goals and aspirations. We wish Michael the best on and off the field as he embarks on the next chapter of his life.”

Cameron Weiss, Sam’s agent and attorney, added: “We’ve been really selective in trying to find the right partners and we couldn’t be more pleased to start with a world-class company like Visa.”

Sam, who came out in February, is projected to be selected Saturday — the third day of the NFL draft. 

Premier League out fit Stoke City have signed an agreement with compression brand SKINS to become the Club’s Official Compression Partner. 

The three-year partnership deal will commence at the start of next season with SKINS supplying base layer garments to the Club’s first team and Academy players and staff.

“We are always looking to innovate and create new partnerships at Stoke City and we believe this will be the first partnership of its kind in football, giving us a competitive edge in the industry,” said City’s Head of Commercial Andrew Billingham.

“We believe there are three important layers to any professional athlete – the body which trains and eats the right nutrition to improve performance; the compression layer that helps reduce muscle damage by increasing circulation of oxygen to the muscles and the top layer which is traditionally the Club’s identity but has technical and lightweight fabrics to aid performance.

“We were delighted to conclude negotiations with SKINS several months ago and are looking forward to the players wearing their products from the start of next season and making it available in our stores for fans to purchase.”

SKINS compression clothing is designed to help reduce exercise induced muscle damage and helps athletes quickly bounce back to their maximum regular season level of performance.

SKINS General Manager David Ling added: “This is a tremendous opportunity to be involved with one of England’s premier soccer clubs and one whose fanbase and general visibility stretches across the entire globe. The Premier League is a truly global product and Stoke City’s association with historic names such as Sir Stanley Matthews and Gordon Banks, together with the international status of its current squad, reinforces our presence in the world’s most popular team sport.”

Formula 1 team Caterham F1 have announced Silanna, drug an international semiconductor company, as an official partner beginning from the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Silanna logo will be seen on Caterham F1 Team’s CT05 racecars from the Spanish Grand Prix, race six of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal, Caterham F1 Team: “Silanna is a company that is working right at the cutting edge of modern technology and we are delighted to see them join us as an Official Partner.

“There are obvious synergies between our two businesses and we are already working actively to identify specific areas that we can learn from Silanna, and aim to integrate elements of their technological know-how into our challenge on track.”

Rob Lobban, Silanna’s Managing Director:  “The Caterham F1 Team and F1 Racing in general represents the extreme edge of racing, and we are very proud and excited to be associated with both of them.   Silanna’s charter is to bring disruptive technologies and products to market.  Working with Caterham F1 provides Silanna the opportunity to get our message and name into the spotlight that has long been associated with F1 racing.”