• Loading stock data...
Sunday, June 1, 2025

NCAA Announces Guidelines On Booster-Funded NIL Deals

  • The NCAA is trying to prohibit boosters from offering recruits deals.
  • It’s the first time the NCAA will try to regulate NIL since the NCAA v. Alston Supreme Court decision.
NCAA
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Last June, the NCAA published only a short, broad set of rules governing name, image, and likeness activities.

The policy technically prohibited deals from being used as recruiting inducements or forms of pay-for-play. But in practice, it has largely failed to stop what officials consider a horrifying development: boosters, donors, and alumni — from individual actors to groups called “NIL collectives” — offering deals to entice recruits.

On Monday, however, the NCAA published its first update to those guidelines, aimed at curbing boosters from providing — or even offering — NIL deals to recruits.

It’s the first time the governing body will try to regulate NIL since the NCAA v. Alston Supreme Court decision found that it was, in fact, subject to antitrust scrutiny — that it could be illegal for the NCAA to set certain athlete compensation limits.

And there will be lawsuits.

The NCAA’s “goal is to test the waters,” Boise State law professor Sam Ehrlich told Front Office Sports, but “this isn’t testing the waters. This is finding a shark-infested patch of open water and jumping right in.”

The policy says many who fall into the NCAA’s definition of “boosters” have attempted to “promote and support a specific NCAA institution by making available NIL opportunities” to recruits or existing athletes. 

It then listed several things these “booster/NIL entities” cannot do, including talking to recruits about enrolling at a school or offering deals based on whether athletes choose a particular team. Athletic department officials can’t speak to athletes on behalf of boosters, either.

The policy also reiterated that deals can’t be related to an athlete’s on-field performance or where they play.

One major issue, attorney Maddie Salamone told Front Office Sports, is the lack of clarity around the NCAA’s definitions of both “pay-for-play” and boosters. 

Ehrlich provided a prescient example: Would he be considered a Boise State “booster” because of his donations to the athletic department — even though those donations are a mandated aspect of his season tickets?

Beyond boosters, there was yet another bombshell: the admonition that no athletic department staff members could “represent” current athletes or recruits in NIL endeavors. Absent state laws and previous NCAA clarity, several schools have begun designating certain staff members to help athletes get deals — and have even already procured some.

Of course, it’s unclear how much power these guidelines will have. The NCAA said in the statement that it will only investigate deals from before May 9 if they appear particularly egregious, but gave no other explanation of how deals will be investigated or how the policy would be enforced. The statement also said the NCAA’s goal “is not intended to question the eligibility of prospective and enrolled student-athletes,” but rather to go after boosters.

In fact, the NCAA is amid a major transformation as divisions write their own rules in the wake of the new constitution ratified in January. There’s no clear direction for what role the national enforcement staff will play in this new structure. 

The NCAA is certainly aware that it will get sued.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith acknowledged that risk in a comment to The Athletic but said it’s one the governing body is willing to take. Prominent NIL lawyer Mike Caspino then said he’d file a suit “the moment they come to try to interfere with one of my clients’ deals.”

Ehrlich noted that there could be grounds for a lawsuit based on the NCAA’s adoption of these new guidelines at all — even before they’re enforced.

Either way, the legal fallout will likely join two athlete compensation cases, Johnson v. NCAA and House v. NCAA, as the next wave of landmark cases that could potentially upend amateurism altogether.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.
Mar 16, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) drives to the basket as Memphis Tigers forward Nicholas Jourdain (2) defends during the first half at Dickies Arena.

Prospects Picking College Over NBA Draft at Record Rate

The 2025 NBA draft has its lowest number of early entrants since 2015.

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”

Featured Today

Mar 23, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys (USA)(not pictured) on day six of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.

Alex Eala Is Defying Her Country’s Odds to Make French Open History

The Philippines native has overcome a unique set of financial odds.
May 24, 2025

Indiana Is the Center of the Basketball Universe—Thanks to Both Pro Teams

The Fever and Pacers are thriving at the same time.
Around the Horn - October 26, 2020
May 23, 2025

‘Quirky, Nutty, Bombastic’: 10 ‘Around the Horn’ Faces on Their Top Moments

“A quirky, nutty, bombastic, mostly wrong, sometimes right, crazy sports family.”
AA Mint Cards
May 18, 2025

Young Collectors Are on a High-Stakes Chase for Ultra-Rare Trading Cards

“They just want that excitement of the chase,” says a 23-year-old collector.
Mar 28, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward Jaemyn Brakefield (4) rebounds over Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) and Mississippi Rebels guard Matthew Murrell (11) in the second half of a South Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at State Farm Arena.

SEC Increases Court Storming Fine to $500K—With Caveat

The SEC used to fine schools $500,000 as a third-time offense.
May 29, 2025

Former Seton Hall Baseball Player Sues Over Sexualized Hazing

The student says the coach knew about the hazing and failed to act.
May 29, 2025

Brett Yormark: Big 12 Puts Private Equity and Naming Rights on Pause

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is shifting his conference’s strategy.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
May 29, 2025

Brian Kelly Pushes for SEC–Big Ten Alliance. Would It Widen the Gap?

A deal, if completed, would further strengthen college football’s two titans.
Tennessee pitcher Brayden Krenzel (34) pitches during a NCAA baseball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on May 11, 2025.
May 27, 2025

SEC Stranglehold on College Baseball Continues

SEC schools will host eight of the 16 regionals set to start this weekend.
May 22, 2025

Can Golf Emulate the College World Series Model?

Carlsbad, Calif., is hosting the event through 2028.
May 22, 2025

New CFP Seeding Rewards Rankings, Not Titles—Except on the Paycheck

Last season, only conference champions could earn first-round byes.