NCAA chief: Federal law likely on compensation

NCAA President Mark Emmert said Wednesday it’s “highly probable” Congress will set national guidelines for how college athletes can be compensated for the use of their names, images and likenesses.

Emmert, who spoke at a forum sponsored by the Sports Business Journal, said he’s spending most of his time trying to figure out how the NCAA and its member schools will allow thousands of athletes to get that kind of compensation under the auspices of amateur athletics.

He said he’s also spending a lot of time in Washington meeting with lawmakers, often with university presidents and other representatives from individual schools.

Last week, Sen. Chris Murphy and Sen. Mitt Romney announced the formation of a bipartisan congressional working group on the topic of athlete compensation.

The issue gained urgency after California passed a law in October that will give college athletes the right to make money of things like endorsement deals and promoting businesses or products on their social media accounts. That law doesn’t go into effect until 2023.

Since, more than 20 other states have moved on similar legislation. That would make it almost impossible for the NCAA to operate with consistent rules for all its members.

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