Ohio lawmakers want to update the state’s laws around college athletes being paid for their name, image and likeness.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order in 2021 to allow college athletes to make money through endorsements and sponsorships while playing.
Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, and Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, introduced a bill Wednesday that would be the first update to Ohio’s approach since 2021 in an effort to stay competitive with schools across the country.
The bill would allow student-athletes to work more directly with NIL collectives, which are nonprofit organizations affiliated with schools that raise money from fans and alumni and pay student-athletes for brand deals or appearances.
Mathews said that every university is interpreting NIL laws differently and with this legislation they want to make sure students and universities know exactly what contracts are and are not allowed.
He looked at other states, especially those with schools in the Southeastern conference, as a model for how to update Ohio’s approach for what the market might look like in the future.
The bill clarifies that college athletes can have an agent or lawyer look over their contracts for compensation and that the schools and collectives are not liable if an athlete is unable to be paid for their name, image or likeness.
Mathews said there are some legal gray areas between collectives and colleges that put students in a confusing situation, pointing out that Cincy Reigns, the collective affiliated with the University of Cincinnati, has a partnership with Rhinegeist but a student-athlete could not.
The bill keeps in place the prohibition on college athletes partnering with companies that sell marijuana or alcohol.
Edwards, who played football for Ohio University, said the conversation is not about whether student-athletes can make money from their name, image and likeness.
“We’re already in that world,” he said, adding that he spoke with business owners and athletes around the state who were not sure if they could legally work together.
Erin Glynn is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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Publish date : 2024-08-28 08:40:00
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