Louisiana has created a new oversight process for those looking to represent high school and college athletes in NIL deals.
The state has created a new registration portal through the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office that requires people representing themselves as athlete agents to register with the state before working with athletes on NIL-related opportunities.
“Anyone who is representing themselves as an agent for an athlete has to register through that portal, and they will have to go through some training,” Attorney General Liz Murrill said, according to Fox 48.
The law grew out of a state NIL task force and comes as more student-athletes are being approached about endorsement deals, social media promotions and other business opportunities.
Baton Rouge attorney Michael Victorian, with Phelps Dunbar, said the systems establishes a baseline for people looking to represent athletes, but he also noted that it won't guarantee everyone registered will act in an athlete's best interest.
“A registration doesn’t fix a bad actor, unfortunately. It may provide some oversight over a bad actor, but you can’t legislate good character,” Victorian said, adding that families should always ask questions before signing any agreement.
“They should be questioning the people who want to represent them about their own background,” Victorian said. “They should be questioning the people who approach them about representing them to find out what the terms are that they are agreeing to in their agreement. And that agreement should be written down and understood by all parties.”
