In November, Ohio governor Mike DeWine wrote an executive order that allowed colleges and universities to pay student-athletes under new NIL laws. Now, the state House of Representatives is moving forward with a bill that would give the governor’s order even more power, and Ohio State University athletic director, Ross Bjork showed his support for it before the whole House.
If passed, House Bill 660 would allow student-athletes to hire agents and attorneys for representation, ban governing bodies like the NCAA from punishing a student based on NIL deals, require authorization from the university in order for a student to use the school’s logo or facilities in NIL opportunities and ensure that compensated student-athletes are not classified as university employees.
Related: Ohio Governor Dewine Signs Order Allowing Schools to Pay Student-Athletes for NIL
Bjork weighed in on the bill and spoke before the House, “I believe this bill sends a strong message and a signal that Ohio will continue to be a leader in college athletics. I've spoken to many of my Ohio Add colleagues and they feel the same way.”
According to Statehouse News Bureau, “The bill was introduced in September and has had two hearings, so there may not be time to pass the bill before session ends in December.”
On top of expanding current NIL opportunities and the rights of student-athletes, representative Brian Stewart hopes that the new NIL landscape could result in “a review of OSU's wins in 2010. The team's 11 wins, including the Sugar Bowl victory in 2011, were vacated when it was discovered some players traded team memorabilia for tattoos or cash. Ohio State was also banned from the college football postseason in 2012.”
Said Stewart, “If we're going to expand the law here again to help Ohio State go attract new student athletes, which I support, isn't it long past time for the NCAA to restore those wins and records and for Ohio State to maybe be a little more active and advocate in that process?”
