Florida Goes First

Florida will become the first state to allow college athletes to benefit from endorsements as Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will allow them to make money off their name, image, and likeness starting July 1, 2021. California and Colorado passed laws regarding NIL but they aren’t slated to go into effect until January 1, 2023. Another two dozen states have similar bills in various stages.

The NCAA said in April they support proposals for athletes to make some money but want to maintain a distinction between college and professional sports. College stakeholders are also against individual state regulations regarding the rules fearing an uneven playing field for recruiting and are pushing for congressional action for a federal law. The Power 5 Conferences have already spent record amounts lobbying this year. 

Across College Sports:

• The University of Houston suspended voluntary workouts Friday after six student-athletes tested positive for the coronavirus. The school had restarted workouts for football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball on June 1.
• Ohio State University made players sign an acknowledgment of risk waiver upon their return to campus for voluntary workouts last week. The document called for the student-athletes to “pledge to take responsibility for my own health and help stop the spread of the COVID-19.”
• University of Texas football players sent a statement to the school last week detailing steps they want the university to take in regard to supporting Black students. That includes donating 0.5% of the athletic department’s annual earnings to the Black Lives Matter movement and other Black organizations, establishing a Black athletic history exhibit in its athletic hall of fame, and renaming parts of the football stadium after Julius Whittier, the first Black football letterman at the school. The student-athletes asked for a “plan of implementation” before the fall semester, and said they would not participate in recruiting incoming players or at donor-related events if the school did not take “action.”