A door previously closed to NCAA student-athletes was finally cracked open on July 1.
That is when the NCAA adopted an interim policy allowing athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness.
California took the first step in fall 2019 by passing the Fair Pay to Play Act (the first law of its kind in the nation), which paved the groundwork for athletes to sign paid endorsement deals on Jan. 1, 2023.
But with new NCAA guidelines on NIL in place, student-athletes can profit off their image and name right away, without fear of punishment from the NCAA.
According to UC Davis Senior Associate Athletic Director Katherine Zedonis, the new policy allows college athletes to take advantage of NIL opportunities, regardless of which state their school is in.
“Allowing NIL opportunities for all our student-athletes is a positive,” Zedonis said. “We have many student-athletes who can benefit from their NIL, and the NCAA interim policy now allows for that … Many of our student-athletes work and the changes to NIL opens up additional employment opportunities for many of them.”
The change followed a June 21 Supreme Court ruling in the case of NCAA vs. Alston. The court’s unanimous decision ruled against the organization’s ability to restrict education-related benefits. Following the ruling, NIL bills similar to California’s went into effect in six states — Texas, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia — on July 1.
Student-athletes have been knocking on this door for a long time.
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