As Congress mulls various legislation that would bring more structure to name, image and likeness activity among college athletes, the NCAA itself is doing the same.
The NCAA’s NIL working group, which has been meeting regularly over more than a year to issue membership guidance around NIL, met in Indianapolis on Tuesday and Wednesday with dozens of stakeholders, including administrators and athletes who volunteered their time. Lynda Tealer, who chairs the NIL working group, said the meeting was productive and informative. She described it as an exercise in information-gathering.
“It was a really good opportunity, just like, ‘OK, what’s happening now?’ And then: Where do we think there’s room to operate with or without congressional intervention?” Tealer said. “There are things that we really need Congress to help with and only they can help with that. But regardless of the outcome there, there will still be room for NCAA rulemaking and policy. So, what should we be focusing on?”
Over the past two weeks, multiple senators have introduced bills they believe address issues in college sports. Two have been bipartisan efforts that call for implementing regulations surrounding NIL activity among other areas, such as increased healthcare coverage for college…
