College Athletics Corp., Country Roads, Dwayne "NIL" Johnson, + ICYMI & More | NIL Newsletter #167
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Major News
A Look at the College Athletes Protection and Compensation Act
A draft of the College Athletes Protection and Compensation Act, introduced by Senators Blumenthal, Booker (above), and Moran would create an entity named the College Athletics Corporation. Booker played college football at Stanford, ending his career in 1991.
The corporation “would be charged with creating a formal certification process for people seeking to represent athletes in name, image and likeness (NIL) dealings.”
It would also maintain a public database displaying the number and value of NIL deals at a given university. The corporation would also establish a “medical trust fund that athletes could access during an after their playing careers.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal believes that “this consensus will gain the bipartisan majority that we need to pass this legislation and do it soon.”
More on the draft is available HERE.
West Virginia-Focused Collective Deals with Huggins’ Departure
The Country Roads Trust President Stephen Ford admitted that the collective has “seen some attrition” since Bob Huggins’ departure from the program was announced in June.
Huggins had been the West Virginia head coach since the 2007-08 season, and his departure has been anything but un-controversial.
Ford nevertheless remained upbeat and appreciative of the contributions of the remaining supporters.
He also shared his view on the future of NIL: “I think then you're going to see the transfer portal die down, I think you'll see NIL…grow and it's going to grow massively. How fast it grows just depends on what happens at the NCAA level and at the state level or federal level.”
Ford’s full interview is available HERE.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Establishes NIL Program
Johnson established an NIL program to promote ZOA energy, his own brand of energy drink.
The first class of ZOA athletes includes a number of the largest names in NIL: LSU’s Angel Reese, Austin Peay’s Hansel Emmanuel, Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., and Georgia’s Brock Bowers.
The student-athletes “will be part of an upcoming marketing campaign, creating content across social media platforms. They will also be tapped to support national and regional retail partnerships and philanthropic events across the country to promote ZOA.”
More on the new program is available HERE.
Legal Update
Missouri Governor Mike Parson Signs High School NIL Law
This week, Governor Parson signed into law the state’s newest NIL legislation.
It will take effect on August 28th, just in time for the upcoming high school football season.
The law allows student-athletes to sign NIL deals in high school, provided that they sign a letter of intent to attend a public university in Missouri.
The new law also allows Missouri universities to fundraise directly through their scholarship funds for NIL deals — in practice, this will allow the University of Missouri to fundraise directly through its Tiger Scholarship Fund rather than through a collective.
More on the new law is available HERE.
For Athletes
SEC Football on EA Sports Football Game
LSU QB Jayden Daniels was one of many student-athletes at SEC Media Days to speak in support of the upcoming EA Sports video game.
“Obviously, you grew up wanting to see yourself in the game.”
The general consensus among players was that being a part of the upcoming game is more important than the $500 they may receive from it.
More on the story is available HERE.
For Admins & Agents
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on NIL
Athletes and Coaches were not the only groups to speak at the recent SEC Media Days. SEC Commissioner Sankey had his own opinions to share.
“In many ways, NIL has been a net positive for young people competing in collegiate athletics, but it has also created a series of realities that put the long-term viability of collegiate athletics at risk. And, we all know there are stories—some told and many untold—of false promises, empty commitments, NIL agreements unfulfilled, inducements offered but not provided, and other behaviors that rightly cause concern.”
“Student-athletes want to know their competitors from other states are governed by the same rules. Uniformity will ensure a high school student being recruited by universities across the country knows there is a consistent set of rules guiding their NIL activity. Student-athletes ask for our help in navigating this minefield, and they want protections for themselves, their teammates, and their competitors.”
More from his time at the podium is available HERE.
ICYMI
LSU’s Angel Reese announces the Angel C. Reese foundation, which will “focus on empowering women through sports, education and financial literacy.” LINK
Although Texas has allowed universities to fundraise through their official arms, Texas A&M’s 12th Man+ Fund has done little since it was announced. LINK
The NCAA has asked several schools to provide “one student-athlete from your school that could provide good perspective of the NIL environment.” LINK
Have you checked out OSC’s website?
Head to www.OptimumSportsConsulting.com to find important resources and features relating to all things NIL. These resources include State by State Resources for Admins, Agents and Athletes, including our initial “OSC Summaries” for over a dozen states coming soon.
More to come too, including links to helpful state information- agency laws and information about school policies, as well as seminar/congressional notes, worksheets, and much more!