Curt Cignetti’s national championship headset sold for more than $100,000

Curt Cignetti’s game-worn national championship headset sold for $112,000 in an auction Sunday evening.

The headset sold on a relatively new platform called Bison Drop.

Bison Drop is an online auction and commerce platform featuring curated IU Athletics items, experiences, and merchandise.

The price of the headset increased by nearly $90,000 over the last hour of the auction.

The description of the headset read: “If you watched the 2025 season, you know the stance. Feet planted. Arms set. Headset on. This is the actual headset worn by Head Coach Curt Cignetti during IU’s unforgettable National Championship run. Every call, every adjustment, every moment of locked-in intensity happened through this headset for each of IU’s 16 undefeated games this season. A true one-of-one piece from the sideline of a historic season – built for those who appreciate how championships are really won.”

Bison Drop is operated by Our Threads, LLC, an Indiana based company. They work directly with Indiana University to obtain officially authenticated IU gear for release on the platform. IU sources and authenticates every item before it appears on the site, and athletes are compensated through formal NIL partnerships tied to the gear.

Bison Drop says it plans to run an auction Monday through Sunday of each week.

Previous items sold include game-used footballs and towels, autographed items, and more. Bison Drop also does giveaways on social media.

It’s just the latest way the school aims to keep its athletic department financially competitive in the ever-evolving world of NIL.

In his opening remarks immediately following Indiana’s national championship win over Miami, Cignetti reminded the world IU must be creative and aggressive in this space.

“I would like to say that our NIL is nowhere near where people think it is,” Cignetti said to start his opening press conference. “So you can throw that out.”