Former Super Bowl champ Russell Okung has seen a massive increase in his 2020 salary after opting to be paid in Bitcoin when he signed with the Carolina Panthers.

Okung, who ended his career with the Panthers, managed to have half of his $6.5 million salary paid in Bitcoin – which is now valued at a whopping $20 million following Donald Trump’s re-election.

The value of Bitcoin has soared to around $89,000 after Trump suggested that crypto could “define the future” before defeating Kamala Harris in the U.S. Election. Bitcoin has been on an upward trajectory since July but has seen a significant surge since October 2022.

Introduced to crypto by a friend, Okung has since insisted on being paid solely in Bitcoin rather than U.S. dollars. Despite initial mockery from fans when he announced his Bitcoin payment, Okung has had the last laugh.

“Results silence all debates,” Okung posted on X on Monday. He also shared: “Odd how the NFL spent millions teaching us not to go broke, but the billionaire owners never shared how to build wealth. All I did was buy bitcoin, now we make history.”

The former Panthers offensive tackle has also released a series of videos explaining his thought process in 2020, and why he will never revert to his former beliefs.

“So I was the first NFL player paid in Bitcoin in 2019,” Okung explained. Pay Me In Bitcoin – Part 1Sports will change forever. But I never shared how I became one of the highest-paid NFL players in all of history. So one of my friends was telling me about this technology called Bitcoin. And he’s saying all types of things. ‘Magic, internet, money, and the fed.’ Something about 1913 and how the U.S. dollar isn’t backed by anything. You know, all the conspiracy stuff.

Donald Trump celebrates his re-election

“And then they tell me ‘You’ve been working for fake money and there’s a primary reason why there’s a gap between the rich and the poor. That the inflation number proposed by the government is far lower than what the real number is.

“None of this makes sense to me. Then, he drops this absolute bomb. Trillions of dollars are being created out of thin air, and that’s the real reason behind inflation. So I’m thinking ‘Bro, what do you mean? Who is printing the money?’

“Now he’s yelling at me at the top of his lungs jumping up and down, ‘The Federal Reserve! ‘ Do you ever have that friend that takes a little bit of time to understand things? That’s me.”

Okung was selected sixth overall by the Seattle Seahawks during the 2010 NFL Draft and won Super Bowl XLVIII before leaving as a free agent in 2016. Okung went on to represent the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, and then the Panthers where he retired.