Garfield Heights senior Marcus Johnson. (Photo: WEWS.)
A novel bill proposed by a Republican lawmaker from Ohio would invalidate a brand novel ability for high school athletes to receive compensation for their name, image and likeness. On Monday, the state student athletic association announced it had voted to allow NIL agreements.
The sponsor of the legislation shared with us is State Representative Adam Bird (R-New Richmond). It stipulates that high school students cannot participate in NIL contracts – like basketball star Marcus Johnson.
“It’s a blessing from God,” Johnson told us earlier this year about his athletic ability and awards wins.
He enjoys national recognition, with fans shouting at him at games and tens of thousands of followers on Instagram.
“We received a lot of offers, from clothing lines to beverages to beverage companies,” said Sonny Johnson, Marcus’ father and coach.
But he didn’t accept any offer because he’s only a senior at Garfield Heights. But Sonny is thrilled that athletes like Marcus and their families will now get a chance to dunk.
“If you can get a kid to get a few thousand dollars without their parents having to give it to them, it’ll save us some groceries,” Sonny laughed.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) announced Monday that it has adopted a novel bylaw that allows high school athletes to receive compensation through appearances, licensing, social media, endorsements and/or branding based on their public recognition or notoriety.
It also sets restrictions to ensure that athletes do not harm their qualifications during recruitment.
“Having NIL in Ohio would definitely be great for me and my family,” Marcus said.
But these opportunities can be blocked.
“Making money is not the goal of high school sports in Ohio,” said Rep. Bird.
Less than 24 hours after the announcement, a Republican lawmaker proposed a bill to ban NIL contracts for high school student athletes.
“We want our sports to be about character development, leadership, physical fitness, social connections and things like that, not about putting even more pressure on our students,” Bird continued.
Students shouldn’t earn more than coaches and referees, he said, and athletes shouldn’t focus on accolades.
“When public money is used to build gymnasiums, stadiums and weight rooms, we should be using that publicly funded facility for that type of purpose, not for an athlete to earn NIL,” the lawmaker said.
Sonny said that NIL opponents don’t understand. Marcus added that 44 other states already approve NIL for high school students.
“I’ve just seen a lot of talent leaving Ohio… A lot of talent that wants to explore other places because they don’t have NIL,” Marcus said.
The bill is in its early stages and is not expected to be considered for several months. Still, athletes hope it’s a bullet.
This debate has its origins in a court case.
The mother of a Franklin County high school football player filed a lawsuit against the OHSAA in mid-October, arguing that students should be able to monetize their image. Her son has already lost more than $100,000 in potential NIL transactions, his mother said.
Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Jaiza Page issued a ruling in slow October allowing students to earn money.
Therefore, the OHSAA conducted an extraordinary referendum vote. It’s gone.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau X AND Facebook.
This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
