Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott wants it known that his conference is not at all in favor of a bill making its way through the California legislature that would allow student-athletes to profit from their name and likeness.
The bill was passed 11-0 by California’s Committee on Higher Education earlier in July. If passed into law, it would allow players to get endorsements and other business deals and has a proposed effective date of Jan. 1, 2023.
“The NCAA is about to start exploring whether there is a possible system to look at name, image and likeness value for student-athletes that is tethered to education, that is not pay for play and we’ll see where that process goes,” Scott said, according to Yahoo Sports. “… We support that conversation, but anything that looks like pay-for-play or compensation of student athletes that’s not related to their education is something that would run counter to the fundamental nature of collegiate athletics, amateur student athletes.”
Following the vote in July, the NCAA said it could ban schools from NCAA championships if the bill became law. The Pac-12 would be most impacted by the law, as a third of the conference is located in California.
