TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida High School Athletic Association introduced a proposal Monday that would allow high school student-athletes to get paid for their name, image, and likeness.
If approved, Florida would join more than 30 states that allow high school students to receive NIL deals. However, the proposal comes with restrictions.
“I’m somewhere in the middle here because I do recognize the competitive advantage or competitive with other states,” a board member said.
The proposal states that students will not be allowed to use their school’s name or uniform in any NIL activities. Students-athletes are also prohibited from accepting deals that include “adult entertainment, alcohol, gambling,” amongst other things.
According to the proposal, student-athletes who transfer to another member school during the season will not be able to accept an NIL agreement that season unless a “Good Cause Exemption is granted by the FHSAA.”
“As far as urban communities, I think we could see some pretty significant impacts to the cultures of some schools,” a board member said. But parents are worried the proposal will take away from students.
NBC affiliate WESH spoke with Jerome Johnson, whose son wrestles at Seminole County High School. Johnson said the focus needs to remain on the student first and the athlete second.
“We got to keep the focus on… student first, athlete second,” he told WESH. “It can be a detriment to the character because you can have a kid and hypothetically, great athlete, and so when he’s in school, education is important to him because his mindset is ‘Well, I’m already making money.'”
Alas, the FHSAA wants parents and student-athletes to be aware of the potential legal and financial drawbacks that come with NIL agreements.
Along with allowing high school student-athletes to get paid, they could also lose eligibility and their deal if they’re caught violating the NIL bylaws.
The first offense will result in a formal warning as well as having the NIL agreement terminated or modified with a required return of compensation, according to the proposal. A second offense will render the student-athlete ineligible from representing any member school for up to one year.
A third strike will cause the student-athlete to be ineligible to compete in any sport throughout their high school career.
The FHSAA board plans to hold a workshop to make amends to the proposal, WESH reported.
