COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Three days before Ohio State’s $20 million football team begins its season, two state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it easier for players to capitalize on their name, image and likeness.
This also includes the universities paying them directly, depending on the outcome of the current legal disputes surrounding revenue sharing in university sports.
To some, it’s likely a sign of the apocalypse, but it’s necessary for survival in the rapidly evolving landscape surrounding elite sports, say co-sponsors Republican Reps. Adam Mathews of Lebanon and Jay Edwards of Nelsonville.
“Our goal is to continue to give our universities the opportunity to remain competitive in this new, ever-expanding world … whether you like NIL or not … it’s here to stay and (will be needed) if you’re going to compete with the state to the north and with other universities across the country, as Ohio State does day in and day out,” Edwards said.
About ten minutes into the press conference at the Statehouse on Wednesday, Mathews addressed a topic that will surely be of key importance to most Ohio State fans:
“So the question was whether this will help with recruitment. And we expect it will help with recruitment.”
“The legislation here is modeled on the plans of Virginia and Missouri that were implemented there and had a really big impact there. There are other southern states that have been able to compete in this area.”
The current law dates back to July 2021, when state officials rushed to enact new rules that would allow Ohio State to remain competitive under the new NIL setup.
The reaction from Jerry Emig, OSU’s assistant athletic director for communications: “We look forward to reviewing the legislation.”
Emig confirmed that athletic director Ross Bjork told Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger in July that the school’s total NIL amount from collectives and brand partners was about $20 million.
As recently as June 2022, football head coach Ryan Day told corporate executives that Ohio State needed $13 million in NIL funds to maintain its football roster.
The goal of the new legislation, according to Mathews, is: “What can we do to reduce bureaucratic hurdles, legislative problems and legal difficulties so that our student-athletes can be successful?”
Edwards pointed to “gray areas” in NIL laws that the measure seeks to address — in part to ensure no athlete is caught up in a midseason NIL controversy. One step is to allow universities and the collectives that enter into NIL contracts to work directly together. Currently, there is a thin but important dividing line between them.
“The players will definitely get paid and our university should not have to go through these additional hurdles that it has to overcome to ensure that our athletes receive the compensation they deserve,” he said.
450 students from 36 sports at Ohio State signed over 2,000 NIL contracts
Earlier this year, deputy athletic director Logan Hittle told Ohio State University’s alumni magazine that university athletes had signed more than 2,000 contracts for social media endorsements, public appearances and other monetization of their personal brands since the sports were legalized about three years ago.
This includes over 450 students participating in all 36 sports offered at OSU.
Day and other head coaches are featured in a video for the 1870 Society, an OSU NIL collective.
The foundation focuses on NIL deals for football and basketball players.
Among those who have benefited from NIL is second-year star safety Caleb Downs, who was lured to Buckeye Country from the University of Alabama.
This also applies to the outstanding basketball player Cotie McMahon.
Edwards and Mathews hope their proposal will be heard in committees after the November election, but it is uncertain whether it will pass before the end of the two-year legislative session on December 31.
@ddrowland
