North Columbus News

Washington, DC – On May 24, Representatives Mike Carey (R-OH-15) and Greg Landsman (D-OH-1) introduced the Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act, a bipartisan bill to create one federal standard for Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) in college sports.

Currently, differing state laws have created a confusing NIL environment for student-athletes, universities, and businesses to navigate. This legislation is an essential step in creating an even playing field for everyone involved in NIL deals. 

The Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act was first introduced during the 117th Congress and has been updated to increase transparency in the process by establishing an FTC clearinghouse in which NIL deals worth over $500 must be uploaded.

“The Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act will establish one federal standard for NIL, protect the college recruiting process, and bring transparency to the NIL landscape,” said Congressman Carey. “Conflicting NIL rules at the state level created an uneven playing field for universities and student-athletes. Through this legislation, we will grant student athletes the right to capitalize off their own name, image, likeness, while preserving the integrity of college sports for current and future college athletes. I am thankful for my friend and colleague Congressman Greg Landsman’s support of this important legislation.”

“For some time now, folks have been calling for greater NIL structure, transparency, and protections for student athletes,” said Congressman Landsman. “This bipartisan effort will provide the national reforms and improvements that will get us there.”

“I’m pleased that student-athletes now have the opportunity to benefit from their name, image and likeness. At Ohio State, our NIL programming assists student-athletes as they capitalize on their hard work, generate income for necessary expenses, and learn marketing and financial literacy skills. However, NIL laws and regulations remain inconsistent from state to state. Representative Carey’s work to bring forth consistent, national NIL regulations will further protect student athletes and bring order to NIL policies and procedures nationwide. On behalf of Ohio State, I want to thank Representative Carey for this significant and important legislation.”  Gene Smith, Senior Vice President and Wolfe Foundation Endowed Athletic Director, The Ohio State University

In addition to establishing one federal standard for NIL and increasing transparency, the Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act prohibits universities from restricting student-athletes from entering into NIL deals, protects the recruitment process by prohibiting inducements, and ensures student-athletes aren’t considered employees of universities.

Read the bill text:

student-athlete-level-playing-field-act.pdf (69.01 KB)

Original source can be found here.