A new bill introduced in the North Carolina Senate would allow student-athletes within the state to benefit financially from their name, image and likeness while in school.

Co-sponsored by Sen. Wiley Nickel and Sen. Paul A. Lowe, the bill would also create a study commission on student-athlete compensation and a “fair and equitable system” of compensation.

“The old system where athletes had to play for the ‘love of the game’ while the NCAA/Universities reap huge profits off their hard work is quickly ending,” Nickel said. “It’s critical that NC stay ahead of the curve to make sure our college athletics programs remain the best in the country.”

https://twitter.com/wileynickel/status/1261355567697637376?s=20

If passed by the General Assembly, the portion of Senate Bill 759 concerning name, image and likeness would become effective July 1, 2023.

The introduction of this bill to the N.C. Senate comes at a time when the NCAA is discussing the possibility of allowing student-athletes to benefit off of their name, image and likeness.

In April, it was announced that the NCAA was moving forward with a plan to allow college athletes to earn money for endorsements and a host of other activities involving personal appearances and social media.

The next step is that plan is for membership to draft legislation by Oct. 30. A formal vote will be taken by schools at the next convention in January and new rules will go into effect no later than the 2021-22 academic year.

“If a member of the band on a college campus can record music and sell that music as intellectual property and not be in any violation,” Lowe said, “a college athlete should have the same privilege to sell an image of themselves on a T-shirt if they so choose.”

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