As announced Wednesday, the NCAA’s Board of Governors chose to support student-athletes’ ability to receive third-party compensation for their name, image and likeness.

Such student-athlete opportunities involve compensation from social media, businesses they have started and personal appearances like an autograph signing. 

The use of conference and school logos, trademarks or other involvement is not allowed, but student-athletes would be permitted to identify themselves by sport and school. The board’s purpose for this is to ensure that a university or college would never pay a student-athlete for name, image and likeness activities.

The board is now planning its recommendations to move into the rules-making structure in all three of the NCAA’s divisions for additional consideration. Each division is expected to adopt name, image and likeness rules by January in order to be enforced by the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

“The NCAA’s work to modernize name, image and likeness continues, and we plan to make these important changes on the original timeline,” Ohio State senior vice president and athletics director and working group co-chair Gene Smith said. “The board’s decision today provides further guidance to each division as they create and adopt appropriate rules changes.”

Certain “guardrails” will be put in place by the board that includes: no name, image and likeness activities that would be considered pay for play, no school or conference involvement, no use of name, image and likeness for recruiting by schools or boosters, and the regulation of agents and advisors. 

According to the NCAA’s press release, guiding principles were put in place by the board in October, and any changes by the NCAA’s three divisions must adhere to the principles and guidelines.

Printed with permission from The Red & Black independent student media organization based in Athens, Georgia; redandblack.com/sports