Bill updating student-athlete name, image and likeness law announced by area legislator

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

A bill to update Ohio’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) law for student-athletes was announced on Wednesday by state Reps. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, and Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville.

“This legislation will ensure student athletes receive the compensation they deserve by bridging the gap between the NIL Collective and state institutions and allowing universities to directly participate in the process of paying student athletes,” according to a news release from Olivia Wile, press secretary for the Ohio House Majority Caucus.

Collectives are independent organizations that raise money from multiple donors and give that money to college athletes through agreements with the athletes.

In 2021 the National Collegiate Athletic Association began allowing student-athletes to make money from their name, image and likeness consistent with the laws of their states.

In 2021 Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order saying Ohio colleges could not stop student-athletes from profiting off of their name, image and likeness through arrangements such as endorsements and sponsorships. The state legislature on that same day included a name, image and likeness law in the state budget DeWine later signed.

Mathews said his proposed new bill tries to deal with legal gray areas in Ohio’s current law and try to make it easier to understand the regulations.

“Our flagship universities compete to recruit the best athletes in the country,” Mathews said. “This bill enables our students to have schools and organizations working together to provide them with the best legal guidance and platforms to succeed on and off the field.”

“Our goal is to continue to allow Ohio’s student-athletes and universities to compete in the new, ever-expanding, world of NIL,” Edwards said.

The legislation does not yet have a bill number or House committee assignment.

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