Emmert urges schools to act on NIL or he will
NCAA President Mark Emmert told the organization’s more than 1,100 member schools Friday that he will seek temporary rules as early as July to ensure all athletes can be compensated for their celebrity with a host of state laws looming and congressional efforts seemingly stalled.
In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, Emmert urged members to pass legislation that would make it permissible for the first time for college athletes to earn money off their names, images and likenesses.
All three divisions of NCAA athletics have been working toward reforming NIL rules and lifting restrictions on athletes since 2019.
“Since that time, many states have enacted NIL legislation and 10 state laws can take effect this July. It is therefore essential we now enact rules before the end of the month,” Emmert wrote in an email sent to presidents and chancellors, athletic directors, senior compliance administrators, conference commissioners and others.
The NCAA Division I Council meets Tuesday and Wednesday and could act on an NIL proposal that was expected to be voted on back in January.
Instead, Emmert encouraged membership at that time to put the vote on hold after an
the Justice Department notified the NCAA that it’s proposed rule changes could violate antitrust law.
Since spring, Emmert has encouraged membership to move forward on NIL reform and has said he was confident new rules would be in place before the start of next football season.