The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday voted 90-0 to protect college athletes from long-term name, image and likeness agreements.
As reported by Anna Staver of cleveland.com, House Bill 184 would prohibit NIL contracts from extending beyond a studentâs time in college â a move supporters say is necessary to prevent companies from locking young athletes into unfair agreements.
âRecently, weâve seen exploitative NIL contracts where players sign away large percentages of their professional earnings [upwards of 20%] in exchange for relatively small sums in college,â NFL Players Association attorney Andrew Morris testified. âWe also see contracts that hold an athleteâs NIL rights in perpetuity.â
Some of these deals are signed by high school or college athletes who are still minors who may not fully grasp that theyâre permanently signing away their rights of publicity, Morris added.
Representative Brian Stewart, a Repuboican from Circleville who sponsored HB 184, called it âcommon sense consumer protections.â
âThis important protection guarantees that athletes retain their future rights to their NIL and are not compelled to relinquish compensation or other rights after their collegiate careers end,â Stewart said.
The rare bill that passed the Ohio House by unanimous vote, HB 184 now heads to the Ohio Senate for deliberations. Both chambers must pass the bill to send it to Governor Mike DeWine for his signature.
