STARKVILLE — The NCAA is embracing change.
Wednesday, college sports’ governing body announced that its board of governors will move toward players being able to benefit off their name, image and likenesses in the forms of endorsements and promotions. In this model, athletes would be allowed to identify by their sport and school, but the use of trademarks and conference and school logos would not be permitted.
The board also noted a university should not pay players for their name, image or likeness at any point.
“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,” Michael V. Drake, chair of the board and president of Ohio State, said in a news release. “Allowing promotions and third-party endorsements is uncharted territory.”
Locally, Mississippi State Athletic Director John Cohen issued the following statement to The Dispatch on the subject:
“We recognize and appreciate the important efforts by the NCAA’s Federal and State Legislative Working Group in its report today on the topic of name, image and likeness for student-athletes. We will continue to support the best interests of our student-athletes, and the working group’s report offers another step in the direction to evaluate name, image and likeness opportunities. We look forward to working to understand and continuing to engage in discussions related to how the proposals will be fairly implemented and executed nationally, while also ensuring the best possible experience and protection for student-athletes.”
Cohen also previously made a string of remarks on the subject via Zoom call with the Starkville Rotary Club on March 30.
Speaking in reference to the Fair Pay to Play Act, a California law enacted in September that will allow student-athletes to earn money for endorsements and sponsorships without losing their eligibility, Cohen said similar legislation could lead college athletics down a “dangerous path.” Most notably, he’s concerned with recruits heading to schools that can offer them the most money.
“I am a huge fan of our student-athletes being able to express themselves and being able to open businesses and being able to creatively earn a living,” Cohen said at the time. “… My fear with name, image and likeness is that it becomes a recruiting tool for institutions around the country, and that’s a real concern to myself and to many other athletic directors around the country.”
Echoing Cohen’s concerns, the NCAA has mandated that any future activity in this realm would not reflect a pay for play model and that there is no school or conference involvement, no use of name, image or likeness for recruiting by schools or boosters and the regulation of agents and advisors.
And while there are assuredly gray areas that will need to be ironed out over time and after implementation should everything be passed, players in the spotlight stand to benefit tremendously. Of note, former MSU center fielder Jake Mangum, who finished his time in Starkville as the Southeastern Conference’s all-time hits leader, said he feels the legislation is a no-brainer for those that have reached the zenith of their sports.
“In a locker room setting, you have your guys that aren’t going to have their faces plastered everywhere, and it’s difficult in that regard,” Mangum told The Dispatch. “But I’m for it. I think if a player earns the right to profit off of himself, I don’t see why he shouldn’t he be able to.”
With the process now moving toward implementation, the NCAA could run into potential legal snags in the federal government in its attempts to modernize its infrastructure. As such, it released the following steps it will ask Congress to ensure it can enact its legislation:
– Ensuring federal preemption over state name, image and likeness laws.
– Establishing a “safe harbor” for the Association to provide protection against lawsuits filed for name, image and likeness rules.
– Safeguarding the nonemployment status of student-athletes.
– Maintaining the distinction between college athletes and professional athletes.
– Upholding the NCAA’s values, including diversity, inclusion and gender equity.
The next steps in the process sends the board of governors’ recommendations to the rules-making structure of its three divisions where it will be considered. The NCAA’s news release Wednesday said it expects its divisions to adopt new rules by January and for them to take effect at the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year.
“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,” Big East Commissioner and working group co-chair Val Ackerman said in a news release. “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.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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