DOLLARS ARE COMING. DOES IT MAKE SENSE?
VHSL committee OKs athletes profiting from their name, image and likeness
“It will be a good thing because of how much we sacrifice and how much we put into this game”
— Zakiya Stephenson
How much money could Allen Iverson, Ronald Curry, Michael Vick or Percy Harvin have raked in were they permitted to profit from their name, image and likeness as high school stars in Hampton Roads? Bruce Smith, Alonzo Mourning and Lawrence Taylor?
Boo Williams, a legend in AAU basketball who coached Iverson and Curry on superstar teams in the 1990s, estimates the pair could have commanded today’s equivalent of $250,000 to $300,000 during their high-wattage high school careers.
Williams said last week he would have been happy to see them, and others, profit from their name, image and likeness — or NIL. With one caveat: No payments for high school athletes unless the Virginia High School League can effectively enforce the system and punish violators.
That concern is foremost on Williams’ mind upon learning that the VHSL will allow athletes to profit from their NIL beginning this summer.
The VHSL’s Executive Committee voted overwhelmingly last month to allow athletes to profit through product endorsements, social media, personal appearances and autographs — to name a few options — following a similar ruling by the NCAA last year for college athletes.
Mike McCall, a VHSL spokesman, said the vote was 31-0, and though it could be reviewed again in March, he expects it “will become effective July 1.”
The proposal adds Virginia to a growing list of states that allow high school athletes to profit from NIL deals. At least 26 others already had done so by December, according to businessofcollegesports.com.
“I think the financial piece of it is good because it could help people based on their situation at home,” said Dyrri McCain, the football coach at Maury High in Norfolk. He starred as a receiver at Maury and Hampton University.
“I just hope people won’t take advantage of the situation. The biggest key with that is guidance and the people around them.”
Corey Coffer, the boys basketball coach at Princess Anne High in Virginia Beach, has concerns.
“Personally, I’m not a huge fan
of the idea,” he said. “I think it puts kids on a pedestal far too soon. I also it would further lead to more transfers from our more talented kids in the area.”
According to the VHSL’s legislation, athletes can profit from:
Social media (or acting as a social media influencer)
Product endorsements
Personal appearances
Autograph sessions
Merchandise or apparel sales
Group licensing
VHSL athletes may not:
(Receive compensation) as an incentive for enrollment decisions or membership on a team.
(Receive compensation) for Intellectual Property of the VHSL or any member school.
The latter means, effectively, that athletes cannot be paid for activities directly involving their school team, uniform, mascot, logos, school name, district, region or the VHSL.
Williams, who has coached scores of high-profile college-bound basketball players, says all of that sounds good, but asks: “How can the VHSL enforce this? They would have to hire a significant number of new staff just to enforce it.
“The NCAA has a staff to enforce it and they can’t keep up with it. How will the VHSL?”
Williams emphasizes he is not criticizing the VHSL for allowing athletes to earn NIL money. He says the league has no choice.
“Almost all of the other states are allowing the NIL, so it’s not likely the VHSL would win in court if they deny it,” Williams said. “Still, you are opening the biggest can of worms ever.”
In addition, Williams thinks the NIL actually could weaken VHSL athletics, because private schools will not likely be bound by the same NIL regulations.
Elite athletes have gravitated increasingly in recent years to private schools in Virginia and elsewhere, in
part because they receive scholarships and can gain an extra year of eligibility by reclassifying.
Stefan Welsh, the boys basketball coach at Woodside High in Newport News, thinks the NIL will work fine for VHSL schools.
“I think that kids and families should be able to supervise their own deals,” said Welsh, who won two state titles at Woodside before playing at the University of Arkansas. “All of these student-athletes are their own individual brands and businesses, therefore they should be able to work their deal for themselves or for whomever they seek representation.”
Welsh does not think the NIL will cause turmoil within his team, citing it as more incentive than disruption.
“I look at it as if you want to receive NIL deals, you perform better and work harder. I’m a little old school when it comes to those perks (that) not everyone’s value is the same and shouldn’t be equated that way.”
Added Dwight Robinson, the boys basketball coach at Landstown High in Virginia Beach: “For high school students it is no different than them having a job, so I don’t see any problem with that. All other students can work and earn money, so why can’t a student-athlete take advantage of their NIL to earn money?”
Zakiya Stephenson, a senior who has won two basketball state championships at Princess Anne, can profit from NIL money at her next stop: the University of Mississippi. She likes that players who will follow her will benefit in high school.
“It will be a good thing because of how much we sacrifice and how much we put into this game,” she said. “It takes a lot.
“It would just be wonderful for us to get that.”
Lamont Strothers, the boys basketball coach at Menchville High in Newport News, agrees.
“Europeans are able to play professionally at a young age,” Strothers said. “Some of those kids are making money, good money, at 16 years of age. If regulated, I’m all for kids being able to reap the benefits of their talents.
“Do they stop the kids that are considered super models from making money? Do they stop kids from acting and making money at a young age? Again, it needs to be some form of regulation, but it shouldn’t be prohibited in my opinion.”