Council members announced new guidelines on college athlete name, image and likeness deals in the district.
The College Student-Athlete Compensation Amendment Act of 2021 was introduced Oct. 15, by D.C. Council members Christina Henderson, Brianne Nadeau, Kenyan McDuffie, Trayon White, Janeese Lewis-George and Brooke Pinto. The legislation is yet to be filed.
The amendment creates restrictions for what endorsements student-athletes in D.C. can profit off of their name, image and likeness (NIL).
“While college athletes will now have the chance to be paid for public appearances, autographs, or social media posts, there need to be basic safety measures around this activity,” Councilmember Henderson said in a press release.
The legislation prohibits college athletes from pay for play; bans endorsements of products related to alcohol, gambling, performance-enhancing drugs and pornography; encourages universities to support financial literacy for their athletes; and updates D.C. oversight of athlete agents who facilitate deals.
Most recently, the National Labor Relations Board recognized athletes at universities such as AU as employees, increasing their bargaining power. With the latest legislation, athletes at AU will still have the ability to bargain, but there will be oversight and guidance.
D.C. joins 23 states that have organized name, image and likeness opportunities for student-athletes, according to a press release from Henderson.
According to the press release, colleges are also required to commit to advanced disclosure of endorsements and agent certifications to guarantee compliance with their own regulations as well.
In a statement to the Eagle, Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Matthew Bennett said that the University was monitoring the situation to ensure they stayed up to date with all NIL regulations.
“The name, image, and likeness topic is rapidly evolving across college athletics,”
Bennett wrote. “And we continue to engage with our Patriot League colleagues and the NCAA to chart the best path forward in support of our student-athletes.”
Editor's Note: This article has been corrected to include an embedded tweet.
