Florida State Penalties, New NCAA Rules, House Subcommittee Hearing, + ICYMI & More | NIL Newsletter #208
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Major News
Florida State Handed First NIL Specific Penalties by NCAA
Last week, the NCAA handed down its first NIL-specific sanctions on an athletic program. Last year, the NCAA penalized the University of Miami (FL) and one of its boosters for impermissible contact in a case involving the Cavinder twins.
The sanctions are tied to a spring 2022 recruiting event, and are the result of a negotiated resolution between Florida State and the NCAA.
The Florida State offensive coordinator, Alex Atkins, committed two Level II violations. Atkins is alleged to have driven a prospect and his parents to meet with a director of the Rising Spear, the FSU-focused collective.
The collective offered the prospect approximately $15,000 per month during his first year at the school, encouraging him to enroll on the strength of their offer.
Atkins will be suspended for the first three games of the 2024-25 football season, and has a two-year show-cause. The school must disassociate from the Rising Spear collective for one year, and from the director for three. There are additional penalties on the program, including two years of probation, a slight scholarship reduction, and recruiting restrictions.
NCAA Division I Council Approves New NIL Rules
On Wednesday, the Division I Council unanimously approved proposals related to student-athlete protections in NIL deals, to be effective August 1st.
The approved proposals include:
Voluntary Registration (for NIL service providers like agents, financial advisors, etc…);
Disclosure Requirements (for agreements exceeding $600);
Standardized Contracts; and
Comprehensive NIL education.
“The action taken by the council today, including the creation of standardized contract recommendations and voluntary registration of service providers, will give student-athletes more confidence as they seek NIL opportunities,” said Morgyn Wynne, vice chair of the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and former softball student-athlete at Oklahoma State.
Additionally, the council introduced proposals which would allow increased school support of NIL deals, which could be adopted as early as April.
House Subcommittee Set to Meet for 11th Time on NIL
Later this week, the House Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce will hold the 11th legislative hearing on NIL since 2020.
Florida Representative Gus Bilirakis, who has drafted his own bill on NIL, chairs the subcommittee.
The NCAA’s new guidelines, outlined above, and NCAA President Baker’s new two-tier Division I proposal are sure to be main topics of conversation.
After winning a national title with the Michigan Wolverines, Coach Jim Harbaugh once again called for athletes to earn a share of the revenue: “They’re maximizing every single revenue source, but they’re not sharing with the talent,” Harbaugh said on Tuesday in Houston.
For Athletes
Deal of the Week
Fresh off an upset of then-#1 Purdue, Nebraska’s Keisei Tominaga launched the TominagaMania line with Campus Ink’s NIL Store.
“Our creative team has been watching Keisei closely all season, and after he caught fire in Nebraska's upset victory over #1 Purdue we knew it was the time to strike,” shared Adam Cook, VP of Campus Ink Sports.
ICYMI
Livvy Dunne stressed the importance of capitalizing on NIL in college for females in sports. LINK
Nick Saban clarifies that retirement was “not about [NIL].” LINK
Drew Griffith, a High School Senior committed to Notre Dame for track & field, signed a deal with New Balance. LINK
The Utah Legislature aims to create the state’s first NIL bill this year. 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!