Colleges Restricted From Certain NIL Activities Due To Updated NCAA Policies
Name, image and likeness has quickly taken the world of college sports by storm since its inception. Student-athletes and even non athletes were recently landing major deals, creating opportunities for themselves and securing a great deal of money because of those opportunities. For example, Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders signed an NIL deal with Tom Brady’s new clothing brand, the Brady Brand. Sanders became the first college athlete to sign with Brady’s brand since it officially debuted in January earlier this year. Shedeur is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who is also the head coach of Jackson State’s football program.
Now there may be a decrease in NIL activities due to the NCAA’s updated policies. The schools are not permitted to “engage in negotiations on behalf of an NIL entity or a student-athlete to secure specific NIL opportunities.” Meaning, schools are prohibited from sourcing, negotiating or facilitating NIL deals for their student-athletes. Any NIL-related services, such as legal review of contracts, are only permissible if the same services are provided to the non-athletes as well.
“The only services that schools are really allowed to provide for athletes under this new guidance are educational services: How to build your brand. How to handle finances, taxes and stuff like that,” sports law attorney Mit Winter explains. “But [schools] can’t be providing any service that’s going out and helping the athletes actually find deals unless that service is available to all students.”
Officials say the the NCAA fully intends to investigate schools suspected of violating these rules, regardless of the rules being clarified after the fact. The NCAA recently posted a job opening for “Associate Director of Enforcement for Name, Image, and Likeness.”
“This position is primarily responsible for identifying potential NCAA violations while maintaining current knowledge of and monitoring trends associated with Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) specific to recruiting and college athletics. Generally, it requires extensive travel, professional networking, developing and cultivating contacts, collaboration with team members and expertise in online research.”
Front Office Sports has more HERE.
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