St. Augustine wide receiver Trenton Jones breaks through the attempted tackle of a pair of Menendez players on Sept. 15, 2023. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on June 4, 2024 at 2:21 pm
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The Florida High School Athletic Association on Tuesday opened the door for student-athletes to earn money from business agreements such as endorsement deals, with the organization’s president calling the move a “good starting point.”
The FHSAA’s board of directors voted unanimously to approve a seismic change in the organization’s bylaws to allow athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness, known as NIL. The changes will be in effect for the upcoming school year.
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Under the change, student-athletes and their parents or guardians would be required to “negotiate any NIL activities independent of their school, school district or the FHSAA.” The board also agreed to allow high school athletes to hire agents to assist them in navigating business deals — reversing course on a longstanding prohibition.
The revamped bylaws now allow for the hiring of “registered” agents only for the “purpose of advising on NIL related” matters.
The policy that was approved Tuesday has been in the works since February, and the board held multiple meetings to float language for the new rules.
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Monica Colucci, a Miami-Dade County School Board member who is president of the FHSAA board of directors, said the change will bring Florida into “new territory.”
“So there are going to be hesitations; we are going to feel nervous. But I do really believe that this is going to put us on par with the rest of the country. We are going to have some things that we have to face as a board. And we will do so. Because I really believe we are very capable and we are going to do the right thing for students, always. That is our top priority,” Colucci said during Tuesday’s meeting in Gainesville.
As of October, 30 states and the District of Columbia allow high school athletes to “receive NIL compensation,” according to the revamped bylaws approved Tuesday.
The updated regulations define “permissible activities” under the new NIL policy to include, but not be limited to, commercial endorsements, promotional activities, social media presence and product or service advertisements.
The new NIL rules also include some restrictions.
For example, student-athletes will be prohibited from using their school’s logo, uniform or equipment in any NIL deals unless they are given written permission from the school, district or FHSAA.
