NCAA may get its wish on NIL help from Congress

May 23, 2023, 6:33 PM

CBS Sports published a report and the discussion draft of the FAIR College Sports Act on Tuesday, as released by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, which will help regulate Name, Image and Likeness and establish a regulatory board.

Per CBS, the NIL law would preempt any state law for NIL:

Beyond creating a federal regulatory body to address NIL, the suggested legislation would:

-Protect athletes' rights to earn NIL compensation and sign with agents. (The NCAA allows for a limited scope of NIL benefits and currently allows athletes to have agents for NIL marketing purposes only.)
-Ban "pay-for-play" by prohibiting boosters, collectives and other third parties from "offering inducements to attend or transfer" to specific institutions.
-Require registration within 30 days for agents, boosters and collectives when NIL deals are signed.

The board would be called the US Intercollegiate Athletics Commission (USIAC).

"It is Congress' responsibility to establish a clear set of rules so our young people are protected, opportunities for them are promoted, and amateur sports of all kinds are preserved. Our goal is to ensure that NIL deals are transparent and fair, while protecting the integrity of college athletics," said Bilirakis to CBS. "I am intent on following a deliberative process that is open to more recommendations so we strike the delicate balance of preserving the ability of college athletes to profit from their own NIL while maintaining the amateur status of all college athletes.

"I am confident we can create a system that is fair, transparent, and beneficial for all."

Bilirakis has a subcommittee that will control when the bill moves forward past the comment period.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/house-subcommittee-considering-federal-regulatory-body-to-oversee-nil-rights-for-college-athletes/