National Football League role player Russell Okung is a strong proponent of Bitcoin (BTC). And while he may be converting a portion of his salary into BTC, his employer, the Carolina Panthers, isn't paying him in virtual currency — although a few excitable crypto-focused publications were foxed past the story.

A spokesperson from the Carolina Panthers confirmed to Cointelegraph that Okung, like the rest of his teammates, is paid in dollars only. What he chooses to exercise with the money is his concern, the spokesperson said. In other words, the player doesn't have any understanding with the team to receive compensation in the class of BTC.

Offensive tackle Okung is currently in the last year of a four-year contract and will earn $thirteen million this year, according to Spotrac.

The NFL player is reportedly using a crypto startup called Strike to convert some of his earnings into Bitcoin. A beta version of the application, which claims to permit users to "send money instantly, with no fees, anywhere in the world," is available for iOS, Android and Chrome.

Okung may have contributed to the confusion in a recent tweet proclaiming that he is being "Paid in Bitcoin." The tweet was a response to a post from May 2019 when he beginning expressed his desire to become paid in BTC.

It'south not entirely articulate whether Okung intended to show that he's getting paid in Bitcoin or to promote the crypto startup with the post-obit tweet:

The NFL star has amassed a large post-obit on Twitter due to his celebrity status and Bitcoin evangelism. His Twitter headline reads, "life freedom, and #bitcoin." His followers include Michael Saylor and Anthony Pompliano, among other crypto proponents.

His contempo tweets promote the idea of buying Bitcoin and educating citizens on the impact of aggrandizement on the ownership ability of the U.Due south. dollar.