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Bipartisan bill aims to protect high school NIL rights
Georgia lawmakers are pushing for bipartisan legislation to safeguard high school athletes from predatory "name, image, and likeness" (NIL) contracts that can "hold them hostage" well into their professional careers.
ATLANTA - The Georgia General Assembly is tackling the issue of name, image, likeness agreements when it comes to young athletes in the Peach State.
What is an NIL deal?
The backstory:
The debate centers on name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, which allow student-athletes to earn compensation through brand endorsements, social media partnerships, and public appearances.
While collegiate athletes have utilized NIL since 2021, the Georgia High School Association recently cleared the way for high schoolers to do the same.
However, Georgia lawmakers are now moving to regulate these agreements, aiming to prevent "predatory" long-term contracts that could bind minors to agents or brands well beyond their graduation dates.
What is HB 383?
What we know:
House lawmakers have introduced the "Georgia High School NIL Protection Act." House Bill 383 would require that NIL contracts end at graduation.
An NIL contract lets high school athletes make money by using their name, image, and likeness—such as promoting a brand or posting on social media—while they're still in school.
If passed, it will ensure high school athletes are free to negotiate new contracts if they go on to compete at the college level.
‘The genie is too far gone’
What they're saying:
Democratic state Rep. Dewey McClain (D-Lawrenceville) is co-sponsoring the legislation. As a former NFL player, he understands how vulnerable high school athletes can be when securing an agent for NIL deals.
"Right now, before the genie is too far gone… we need to make sure we can put some guardrails on," McClain explained.
Republican state Rep. Brent Cox (R-Dawsonville) is sponsoring the bipartisan bill. If passed, it will ensure high school athletes are free to negotiate new contracts if they compete at the college level.
"Once they graduate high school, those contracts that they have with their agents [are] null and void," Cox explained. "That way, they're not held hostage in college or even at the professional level, where a cut of the money that they would make would continue to go on indefinitely without sunsets."
The Source: Republican State Rep. Brent Cox, the bill's sponsor, and Democratic State Rep. Dewey McClain, a former NFL player and co-sponsor, both provided quotes regarding the need for "guardrails" and "sunset clauses" to protect young athletes. Additional details regarding current NIL regulations and the scale of existing deals came from the GHSA, specifically through testimony from former executive director Dr. James R. Hines Jr.