Alabama bill would allow NIL for high school athletes
December 13, 2023 / Athletic Administration • Coaching
An Alabama state representative has proposed a bill that would allow high school student-athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) without losing eligibility.
Rep. Jeremy Gray (D-Opelika) introduced House Bill 25, which would bypass the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s (AHSAA) amateur policy that states high school student-athletes cannot profit from NIL opportunities.
A recent story from On3.com detailed the bill that could bring NIL to Alabama high school athletes. Below is an excerpt from the On3.com story.
Gray’s bill is limited to the athlete and does not allow the use of “marks, including a school logo, school name, school mascot, or trademarked logo or acronym of an athletic association,” along with some other restrictions. Plus, the bill says no student-athletes in the state “shall be prevented from receiving compensation for the use of his or her name, image or likeness.”
Gray, who played football at NC State and was a former three-star recruit, told AL.com the move would put Alabama on the same level playing field as other states that have NIL laws for high school athletes.
“It’s already happening on a college level and what better way to get kids trained to the mindset of NIL by starting in high school,” Gray told AL.com.
The AHSAA follows an amateur policy that says high school student-athletes “can’t use (their) athletic abilities to gain anything financially,” according to director Alvin Briggs.
Yet, things got extremely murky when AHSAA assistant director Jeff Segars told WCOV Fox 20 in mid-October that “for the most part, [the Georgia High School Association NIL rule is] nothing different from what our amateur rule says.”