NCAA Proposes 'Interim Policy' on Name, Image, Likeness

[64NIT]

Under pressure to overhaul its vision of amateurism in college sports, the National Collegiate Athletic Association on Monday indicated that it would allow athletes in all 50 states to make money from their name, image and likeness as soon as July 1 without forfeiting their eligibility.

In making the move—which is still one step from final approval—the NCAA bowed to the actions of numerous state legislatures around the country, which have already moved to make it legal for college athletes to profit from their images. Some of those laws are set to take effect on Thursday.

The NCAA move continues a period of furious change that intensified last week ago with a landmark Supreme Court decision in which justices unanimously said the NCAA had unlawfully limited schools from competing for player talent by offering better benefits, harming college athletes in the process.

Complete article can be found here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mor...vV4?li=BBnb7Kz

[Da Coach]

By not issuing a standard NCAA-wide policy on the Name, Image, & Likeness controversy, we will now see as many as 50 different state-issued policies, or possibly even worse, the states might allow each individual school to draft their own policies. And of course, it will be a bonanza for lawyers and agents.
This could get messy and very confusing.

[Da Coach]

It's interesting to see what former Bradley University President Gary Roberts had to say about the new NIL laws that will allow college athletes to cash in on their name, image, & likeness. Here was an interview done by PJ Star columnist Phil Luciano a few weeks ago-
https://www.pjstar.com/story/news/co...cs/5026296001/

Gary Roberts has a lot of expertise and experience in this area, being one of the top experts in the US in sports law.
For those who can't read it, here are a few clips. And I agree with everything Gary says. It will be impossible for the NCAA to police the illegal benefits that the Power 5 schools and their deep-pockets boosters can pay as inducements to attract the top recruits that will now be disguised as NIL payments.-

The effect could be crippling to schools of that size and smaller, says Gary Roberts, the university's immediate past president. He believes endorsement deals have a good chance of tilting college athletics evermore so toward elite programs, so much so to perhaps shrink Division 1 and the March Madness basketball tournament.
"I think it's going to create a bigger separation between the power conferences and mid-major schools like Bradley," he says.
... a booster could overpay an athlete and essentially provide pro-like pay, Roberts says.
As he puts it, "Could a car dealer in Peoria pay a kid a million dollars?"
Probably not in Peoria. That's tall cash hereabouts. But big-bucks compensation could happen in major cities — and/or with major programs with well heeled alumni.
In that way, the big schools — especially the Power Five conferences — carry a great advantage with NIL endorsements. Of course, the playing field is already unequal in recruiting: college athletes often flock to programs with national TV exposure and grand training facilities.
And big schools would be able to coax and coo over the possibilities of more and richer NIL deals, Roberts says. Medium and small programs would be left further behind.
"Is Bradley going to be worse off?" Roberts says. "I can't imagine ... the best athletes wouldn't be going to places other than where they can make the most money."
Anymore, it'd be hard for mid-major schools to land a team-transforming star, as Bradley did with Hersey Hawkins. With talent flocking to endorsement-rich campuses, Roberts foresees a day when March Madness will be the purview of only big schools.
"Cinderellas will be impossible," he says.
In fact, Roberts wonders if basketball tourney can continue in its current size. With the haves and have-nots pushed further apart, the NCCA might have restructure divisions, he said. Division 1 might have to shrink, eliminating endorsement-challenged schools.
"I think it will be unlikely Division 1 will hold together like it is," he said.


And here is a new article today by Luciano with quotes from Coach Wardle and several other MVC coaches with their thoughts on the NIL laws-
https://www.pjstar.com/story/sports/...ce/7845665002/

[Da Coach]

I have seen a few articles about a few college basketball players who have already made deals to cash in on the new Name, Image, and Likeness rules.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/04/us/nc...als/index.html

And I wonder just how many college players will be able to profit significantly, and how much they will make.
In professional sports like MLB baseball, NFL football, and NBA basketball, every player gets some money from the trading card companies, the video game manufacturers, and the shoe and equipment manufacturers or other endorsement deals. But I doubt there will be more than a small handful of the top college players who will get any significant money from any of those sources.
Like Coach Wardle mentioned in the link in the previous post, maybe some of the best players on teams with significant following will be able to earn money giving autographs, private lesson, personal appearances or endorsements, or holding personal camps. But I suspect the great majority of college players won't see any large revenue from these new NIL rules.
Can anyone think of any present or past Bradley or MVC players who would make significant money from marketing their NIL?

[Da Coach]

Here is an example of the kind of marketing some college players might be able to profit from.
Former Illinois guard Adam Miller, who is now at LSU, is promoting an internet based food delivery service named Gopuff.

https://twitter.com/AceWolf44/status/1411688973509009411

Does this kind of shilling by a college athlete who averaged 8.3 points per game, but dribbles a basketball real well make anyone want to order some Doritos?

[Da Coach]

Another example of how the new NIL rules will play out. A wealthy University of Miami football booster is offering a total of $540,000 to 90 players. This translates to $500 per month x 12 mo. = $6,000 per year to each player on the Miami football team to "endorse his chain of training gyms". That means even the 4th string walk-on scrubs will earn money at Miami, while they would have no hope of cashing in on their NIL at most other schools.

Miami booster offers NIL deal worth $6,000 apiece to entire Canes roster
https://footballscoop.com/news/miami...ing-back-the-u

This kind of money for everyone on the team blurs the line between legitimate NIL payments and illegal payments to athletes.
Though $6,000 isn't exactly a fortune, schools with wealthy boosters like this will have a clear advantage over other schools.

[bradleyfan124]

Another example of how the new NIL rules will play out. A wealthy University of Miami football booster is offering a total of $540,000 to 90 players. This translates to $500 per month x 12 mo. = $6,000 per year to each player on the Miami football team to "endorse his chain of training gyms". That means even the 4th string walk-on scrubs will earn money at Miami, while they would have no hope of cashing in on their NIL at most other schools.

Miami booster offers NIL deal worth $6,000 apiece to entire Canes roster
https://footballscoop.com/news/miami...ing-back-the-u

This kind of money for everyone on the team blurs the line between legitimate NIL payments and illegal payments to athletes.
Though $6,000 isn't exactly a fortune, schools with wealthy boosters like this will have a clear advantage over other schools.

They could monitor this if they did it the right way. They could have stringent rules that had to be followed and monitored to make sure the individuals were adhering to the rules. Afterall, income has to be reported to the IRS. But then I remembered that it is the NCAA. They like to say they have rules but then dont enforce them. Look the other way

[64NIT]

Not sure what the minimum for reporting purposes is but, $6000 is too little to be reported to the IRS on a tax return, assuming this was the total amount of income the person earned for a particular year. Even if one were to file a return and report this amount, no taxes would have to be paid.

(I'm not an accountant, so don't know the law but, I'm saying this based on my own personal experience.)

I wonder how many athletes have already figured out, or had it figured out for them by someone familiar with the tax law, how to make a boatload more than $6000/yr. and not pay any taxes.

[PhiAlphaBoy]

Not sure what the minimum for reporting purposes is but, $6000 is too little to be reported to the IRS on a tax return, assuming this was the total amount of income the person earned for a particular year. Even if one were to file a return and report this amount, no taxes would have to be paid.

(I'm not an accountant, so don't know the law but, I'm saying this based on my own personal experience.)

I wonder how many athletes have already figured out, or had it figured out for them by someone familiar with the tax law, how to make a boatload more than $6000/yr. and not pay any taxes.

You're not required to pay tax or file a tax return if you keep your income under $12,400, though there may be various reasons why you'd want to file one.