NCAA Announces Clarifications for Interim NIL Policy

legislation nameimagelikeness ncaa nil student-athlete May 10, 2023

On October 26, 2022, the NCAA released an article stating that the Division I Board of Directors voted “unanimously to clarify how schools can be involved with the name, image, and likeness activities of enrolled student-athletes on their campuses.”

We have summarized what this updated guidance entails for you, as we feel these clarifications on existing NCAA rules for NIL are important to understand:

Schools generally can and should provide education to current student-athletes, including topics like financial literacy, taxes, social media practices, and entrepreneurship.
Schools can provide NIL education to collectives, boosters, and prospects.
When permitted by applicable state laws, schools can and should require student-athletes to report NIL activities to the athletics department.
Schools can inform student-athletes about potential NIL opportunities and can work with an NIL service provider to administer a “marketplace” to match student-athletes with those opportunities.
School personnel (including coaches) can assist an NIL entity with fundraising through appearances or autographed memorabilia but cannot donate cash directly to those entities.

It is clear that the NIL world is very hectic, and the Board of Directors decided it was important to offer further guidance with respect to a number of key questions that have arisen recently. Chair of the board and president of the University of Georgia, Jere Morehead, stated, “As we continue to reinforce current NCAA rules, we expect to offer further guidance in the future on what should and should not be done when engaged in these activities. We are committed to fostering a fair and appropriate NIL environment that supports our students and complies with our rules.”