Braxton Miller deletes Instagram post with AdvoCare products

Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller deleted a picture he posted to Instagram Tuesday night of himself next to AdvoCare products on a table.

If you look closely at the caption, you can see the email address has Miller's name in it.

Why was it deleted? Well, it could be an NCAA violation. Per the Lantern, the Ohio State student newspaper, a spokesperson says the school is looking into the picture.

AdvoCare products are primarily workout supplements and are sold by individuals via a network (some may call it a pyramid scheme). If you sign up as a distributor and sign up someone else as a distributor, you get a cut of their sales. And so on and so forth. If you work out regularly, you likely know a person or three who is has dabbled in selling the products.

The web that AdvoCare distributors weave is big enough that SB Nation's Ohio State Land Grant Holy Land found a PDF on AdvoCare's site detailing the relationships NCAA athletes can have with the company that fit NCAA rules. LGHL identifies the trainer with Miller in the picture as Brandon Oshodin, who is alaso an AdvoCare distributor and part of "Authentik Fitness"

The first "No" listed on Advocare's PDF is "Use of photos of themselves on an AdvoCare Microsite, Facebook, Twitter, personal website or any other place where AdvoCare is mentioned." It relates to an NCAA rule regarding self-employment, which states that "a student-athlete may establish his or her own business provided the student athlete's name, photograph, appearance or athletics reputation are not used to promote the business." Athletes are also ineligible from permitting the use of their likeness to advertise a product.

While the picture Miller re-posted was deleted, Miller is in this picture on the AuthentikFitness Instagram account with the #advocare hashtag. It's not crazy to see how it could be construed as advertising.

Given the way AdvoCare is sold, it's incredibly hard for someone not to use his or her likeness for increased sales. Though it's not impossible.

Does the NCAA have bigger issues to spend its time on? Absolutely. But if Miller did break any NCAA rules, it's better for the issues to be self-investigated by Ohio State now, as the NCAA has shown it favors schools who act swiftly.

For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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