GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A major change is on the way for athletes in the Sunshine State, according to News 6 partner WJXT-TV.
The Florida High School Athletic Association gave students the ability to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL) during the final board of directors vote of the school year on Tuesday morning.
[RELATED: FHSAA proposal on NIL]
After plenty of back and forth about NIL, the board voted unanimously to permit high school athletes in Florida to make money off their name, image and likeness. It was seen as a foregone conclusion as 35 other state associations had adopted NIL at the high school level.
“This will put us on par with the rest of the country,” said FHSAA board president Monica Colucci.
The vote comes after eight months of exploratory conversations and committees and workshops to craft a new bylaw to evolve with the times. Florida becomes the 36th state to green-light NIL at the high school level.
Alabama, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming don’t currently have full NIL laws in place. The South Dakota High School Activities Association is currently voting on adopting NIL language. South Carolina is in the process of crafting an NIL program, too, according to multiple media reports. The North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association allows NIL, but that doesn’t cover the entire state.
There are things that won’t be permitted for athletes.
Adult entertainment products and services, any alcohol, cannabis, tobacco or vaping products, prescription pharmaceuticals, gambling, weapons, ammunition and political or social topics.
“I will be the one to stand up here in three years and tell you, ‘I told you so,’” said Shelton Crews, of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association. “It’s going to create havoc.”