As state bills that allow high school student-athletes to earn compensation for their name, image and likeness (NIL) proliferate, Mississippi now stands out as the exception after House Bill 1400 did not pass the House of Representatives committee.
According to WLBT, HB1400, known as the “Mississippi High School Student-Athlete NIL Protection Act” would have created a framework for student-athletes to earn NIL and put guidelines in place for managing that process.
The bill did not make it out of the House committee, so it was not voted on by the full House of Representatives.
Related: MHSAA Approves Name, Image and Likeness Opportunities for High School Student-Athletes
The Mississippi High School Athletics Association as well as coaches and athletic directors from across the state spoke out against the bill that was introduced last month.
“It does not let them take full advantage of their athletic ability because we don’t want it to get into a pay-for-play type situation, like what is going on in the NCAA,” said MHSAA executive director Rickey Neaves. “We need to keep it where it is for as long as we can for the future of high school athletics.”
According to On3, HB1400 would have allowed high school student-athletes to receive up to $10,000 in liquid funds for NIL deals. Deals in excess of $10,000 would have been placed in a trust that the student-athlete could access upon graduation or their 18th birthday.
Mississippi is one of 14 states that does not allow high school athletes to earn NIL compensation, and Ohio, a state that recently voted to allow high school NIL opportunities, is now trying to step back that legislation.
“I’m completely against it, personally, because once you let the genie out of the bottle, it’s hard to put it back in there,” Neaves said. “That’s what the NCAA is experiencing right now. High school athletics and activities right now are the last pure form of athletics and activities that we have.”
