The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has approved new rules to govern the way agents and athletes interact under the Name, Image, and Likeness rules put in place in 2021.
The new rules are intended to prevent agents and corporations from preying on athletes, a risk about which The Dallas Express has reported. The rules also seek to establish guidelines for athletes to temper expectations and provide information about which agents are good to work with.
“We don’t want to do anything to get into the way of student-athletes trying to activate their NIL rights, but we do want to assist them in essentially protecting themselves,” Mid-American Conference commissioner and Division I Council vice chair Jon Steinbrecher said, per ESPN.
Beginning in August 2024, the NCAA will provide a standardized contract for athletes to assist in making NIL deals. This will provide athletes with guidelines for what to expect from a deal, how much to expect, and what the general language of contracts indicates in relation to their NIL deals.
There is also a plan to construct a voluntary database of information that shows credible and trustworthy agents that will be based on athletes’ feedback. Right now, there are no standardized practices in place to protect students.
Bloomberg News reported on some potential contracts that could be used to exploit students last year. The records they obtained had names redacted. One report showed that a Texas-based apparel company offered a contract that gave the company a 40% share of profits and included language that would have locked in the profits indefinitely, including things like autographs and future sponsorships.
The NCAA is not finished with establishing a framework for NIL deals, ESPN reported. Proposed rules that are yet to be voted on will seek to simplify deals between NIL conglomerates and athletes in an effort to return control of roster management to athletic departments. Currently, athletes are motivated to attend schools based in part on the lucrative deals they can gain.
There are also indications that Congress may get involved to establish a federal rule allowing athletes to be paid by the school they attend without being considered an employee, per ESPN. The NCAA is expected to vote on a proposal this week to help guide elected officials in deciding how to approach the delicate subject.
“We were very supportive of the things that were put out for student-athlete protections,” Morgyn Wynne, a student-athlete and Division 1 council member, said, according to ESPN. “I don’t believe that there really are any concerns that should follow any of those.”
