GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors unanimously passed a new policy allowing name, image, and likeness activities for high school athletes without them having to forfeit the ability to participate in school sports.
Florida now becomes one of the 37 states, including Washington D.C., to allow high school athletes to participate in NILs.
The board made some changes to the original proposal, specifically the section on endorsements from which student-athletes can receive money. The FHSAA emphasized that student-athletes can't take NIL endorsements from booster clubs or other similar NIL collectives.
The new bylaws go into effect starting in the 2024-2025 school year.
Approving NIL for high school athletes should help level the playing field for Florida schools looking to recruit or keep players in the state, but NIL doesn't come without risks.
Some high school coaches oppose NIL payments for players. At the collegiate level, some schools have even had to go to court over NIL claims.
The University of Florida is currently fighting a lawsuit related to NIL.
Former Florida Gators quarterback Jaden Rashada sued the school and head football coach Billy Napier for allegedly not honoring a $13.85 million NIL contract to sign with the school, ESPN reported.
According to ESPN, Rashada's case is the first involving a student and the alleged non-payment of NIL money.
But the size of Rashada's case illustrates just how lucrative the NIL business has become and how players are just starting to tap into the pools of money many can now access.
According to On3.com NIL valuation analysis, the top five players in college football have a collective estimated NIL value of more than $13 million.
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