As the hot debate regarding whether or not college athletes deserve to be financially compensated and receive endorsements rages on, the NCAA Board of Governors expressed support for rule changes in a meeting this week that would allow student athletes to obtain third-party endorsements and profit off their likeness while operating under the NCAA’s guidelines that were originally introduced in October.
Under the proposed rule changes, athletes seeking monetary compensation would be permitted to “identifiy themselves by sport and school” while making personal appearances, starting businesses and financially benefiting from social media opportunities. However, any use of school and conference logos is prohibited and the board emphasized that a university should never “pay student athletes for name, image and likeness activities,” the NCAA’s website said.
The board also told the three divisions of the NCAA to discuss the proposed rule changes that were recommended by the association’s Federal and State Legislation Working Group.
“Throughout our efforts to enhance support for college athletes, the NCAA has relied upon considerable feedback from and the engagement of our members, including numerous student-athletes, from all three divisions,” said Michael Drake, chair of the board and president of Ohio State. “Allowing promotions and third-party endorsements is uncharted territory.”
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.
The three divisions are expected to implement the new rules by January and have them go into effect by the start of the 2021-22 academic year.
“The NCAA’s work to modernize name, image and likeness continues, and we plan to make these important changes on the original timeline, no later than January 2021,” said Gene Smith, Ohio State senior vice president and athletics director and working group co-chair. “The board’s decision today provides further guidance to each division as they create and adopt appropriate rules changes.”
Any rule changes made by the three divisions must correspond with the following “guiding principles,” according to the NCAA’s website:
“As we evolve, the Association will continue to identify the guardrails to further support student-athletes within the context of college sports and higher education,” said Val Ackerman, commissioner of the Big East and working group co-chair. “In addition, we are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education, college sports and students at large. We hope that modernized name, image and likeness rules will further assist college athletes during these unprecedented times and beyond.”
CORONAVIRUS FAQ: WIKI OF MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tny--EWynOQ Nike paid tribute to Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal with a 10-meter-tall animated display…
https://youtu.be/dtJoJz9hC48 Tennis legend Rafael Nadal bid a heartfelt goodbye to his devoted Spanish fans as he brought…
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DQ9Rxhnuer4 U.S. Olympic fencer Eli Dershwitz shed light on the critical skills necessary in fencing…
Two offensive linemen for the Chicago Bears returned to practice, a massive step in the…
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/s2g9t_33Myw President-elect Donald Trump received a warm welcome from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Jon…
Reporters asked quarterback Aaron Rodgers if he intended to return to the New York Jets…