Ready or not, NIL deals for athletes coming to North Carolina high school sports
Ready or not, NIL is coming to N.C. high school sports.
The N.C. High School Athletic Association Board of Directors approved a proposal Wednesday to allow in-state athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness beginning July 1.
The new rule faces potential scrutiny from lawmakers, who are considering several bills that would alter the NCHSAA’s power to govern.
For now, though, North Carolina becomes the 28th state to adopt an NIL policy for high school athletes, according to Business of College Sports, which tracks NIL nationally.
To take advantage of their NIL rights, the NCHSAA will require athletes, along with parents/custodians, coaches, athletic directors and principals to complete the National Federation of High Schools’ NIL course annually.
Students would then be allowed to use their name, image and likeness to profit from things like appearances, autographs, camps and clinics, group licensing deals, social media and product endorsements.
School personnel, including coaches, could not use NIL for recruitment or enrollment, nor act as a student-athletes’ agent or marketing rep. Athletes would also be prohibited from using their NIL in certain fields or companies, like those involving cannabis, alcohol, gambling or adult entertainment. Violation of the policy will trigger a 60-day suspension. Students would also be required to disclose NIL agreements with their school and athletic director — and the AD must submit those to the NCHSAA electronically.
The NCHSAA’s NIL committee said during Wednesday’s board meeting that the average NIL deal for high school athletes in other states ranged between $60 and $120.
Some coaches The Observer spoke to, however, worried about recruiting issues and locker room issues created by NIL with some players potentially making money and others not. Those coaches would only speak off the record.
Since July 2021, college students have been able to benefit from NIL after the NCAA changed its rules. With now more than half of the National Federation of High Schools’ 51 state high school athletic associations adopting NIL protocols, the NFHS has drawn at least one line in the sand.
“We realize that high school students can be tremendous entrepreneurs — they already are in a number of capacities,” NFHS CEO Karissa Niehoff wrote last year. “Students have the ability to be recognized for their athletic prowess and that can be a nice opportunity for a young person. However, the NFHS and its member associations believe high school student-athletes should not be able to benefit as professionals from something they do not own — that is their high school uniform. The NFHS and its member state associations would not support a situation that would involve a member school and a student-athlete entering into a professional contract while representing that member school.”
NCISAA could adopt NIL soon
Homar Ramirez, the executive director of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association, said his board of trustees has been discussing NIL for more than a year and are working to develop a policy. He anticipated one could be in place before the start of the 2023-24 school year this fall.
Ramirez said the next scheduled meeting of the NCISAA Board is in September, but that members often meet to discuss and vote through important topics in between meetings. And Ramirez said “the NCHSAA moving to adopt (an NIL policy) has an affect on our conversations.”
“It’s the evolution of sports,” he said. “We’re watching what’s happening in the college space and we know that there’s a trickle down to the high school space. Those are us who long for amateur sports, the way it was in the ‘80s and 90s, we’re out of touch. There are so many opportunities now for young people, especially with social media. We need to learn from what the college space did and get our heads around it, build some fences around our student-athletes and schools and work to keep as equitable an experience for young people as possible.”
High schoolers already making big money
Nationally, NIL is beginning to have an effect. Some families are moving from one state to another, strictly to live in a state that offers high school NIL.
Girls’ basketball star Jada Williams, who has 720,000 followers on Instagram, moved from a suburb of Kansas City to San Diego to play in a state that allows high school students to profit from the rule. She is a senior at LaJolla Country Day and has signed with Arizona. Her social media accounts appear to show professional relationships with, among others, a company that specializes in short inserts for athletes and a social media “celebrity” greeting service, where fans pay for messages from popular people.
CBS News reported in November that Williams was making more than six figures annually from six major endorsement deals.
In the 2021-22 school year, basketball phenom Mikey Williams, no relation to Jada Williams, drew national headlines while he was playing in Charlotte for filming commercials with the rapper Drake and appearing in a national video game commercial with Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. Williams played for a school in the Charlotte-area, the now-defunct Vertical Academy, that was not governed by NCHSAA or NFHS rules.
Mikey Williams reportedly bought a $1.2 million home in San Diego, where he returned to attend school this year.
North Carolina, meanwhile, has many high-profile public high school athletes who could benefit greatly from the new NIL rule, including four players ranked among the nation’s top 30 boys basketball players in the class of 2024: North Mecklenburg’s Isaiah Evans, the reigning Mr. Basketball in the state, is No. 10. He’s committed to Duke. Joining Evans inside the top 25 are Seaforth’s Jarin Stevenson (No. 12), Northwood’s Drake Powell, a UNC commit (No. 19) and Carmel Christian’s Jaeden Mustaf (No. 28).
Mustaf plays in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association, which is not a part of the NCHSAA. It’s not clear what the NCISAA policy on NIL will be.
Who’s the NC player that could benefit the most?
The NCISAA has another high profile star, Providence Day quarterback Jadyn Davis, the reigning Mr. Football in North Carolina.
Davis, who has nearly 50,000 social media followers, recently committed to Michigan, live on ESPN SportsCenter nationally. He may be the most well-known N.C. high school athlete nationally at the moment.
“I have no idea how much Jadyn could make,” Providence Day coach Chad Grier said. “I don’t know what the market value is. It could be significant..”
Grier said he welcomes the rule change in the public school and would like to see it in his private school leagues, too.
“I’m 100 percent for it,” Grier said. “I think people are going negative on with it, with adult issues. But what about the kid who has to work at night and help pay bills? If he can make money with NIL, with YouTube or Instagram, or some collective, that’s good for kids.”
Grier said he reviewed the NCHSAA’s NIL language and thought it was well conceived. He does admit enforcement of the rules might be hard, but thinks it’s time for the change here.
“I want to make the best decision for kids,” he said. “Enforcement is hard in college, too. But I look at from the positive side. If more kids can play ball and not miss practices or workouts, it’s good. It’s not pay-for-play. I mean, we’re in the ‘Kid Business.’ If someone is willing to pay you in high school, what’s the difference between that and mowing the grass or making an appearance?”
This story was originally published May 3, 2023 at 10:12 AM.
