Alabama NIL Legislative Activity Heats Up

The Alabama House recently passed a bill allowing third parties to compensate players for name, image, and likeness use and to hire agents to assist.  Colleges could prohibit their student-athletes from agreements that promote tobacco or alcohol products, adult entertainment, casinos, or agreements that conflict with the university’s own endorsement contracts.  The Alabama Collegiate Athletics Commission would be formed “to develop rules and recommendations to maintain the fairness and integrity of amateur intercollegiate athletics and the principle of amateurism in intercollegiate athletics.” 

The House passed its bill on a 63-31 vote a few weeks ago; it awaits consideration in the Senate.  

Meanwhile, the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday will consider a different bill proposed by a Democratic senator.  The Senate bill includes a section that would allow student-athletes to declare that they will not receive compensation for NIL and not hire an agent. For those student-athletes, colleges would set up an annuity funded by up to $10,000, to be transferred to student-athletes upon graduation. That bill would also establish an Historically Black Colleges and Universities NIL working group to study the issue make recommendations.