HARRISBURG – A resolution was adopted by the PA Senate urging Congress and the NCAA to create a standard set of Name Image Likeness or NIL policies across all states and universities to better protect student athletes. The resolution was authored by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, Scott Martin of Lancaster & Berks Counties. NIL deals allow student athletes to make money by selling rights to use their name, image, and likeness. The contracts were prohibited by the NCAA until a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court ruling reversed the NCAA’s restriction. Since the ruling, the NCAA deferred regulation of NIL deals to the states. In states without an NIL, these decisions were deferred to the individual schools. Martin, who also chairs the PA Athletic Oversight Committee, said this decision has created a patchwork of varying regulations without proper safeguards for student athletes. Martin’s resolution encourages Congress and NCAA to establish national guidelines with an emphasis on protecting young athletes.
SEN. SCOTT MARTIN