Louisiana lawmakers advance name, image and likeness trigger law

Louisiana colleges could soon be allowed more involvement in athletes’ name, image and likeness (NIL) deals based on legislation that advanced Wednesday. 

The House Education Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 465 by Sen. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge. Talbot’s bill acts as a trigger-law that would immediately allow universities more involvement in NIL deals if federal law or NCAA regulations allow it. 

Talbot touted the bill as a way to keep Louisiana’s college teams competitive. 

The NCAA recently adopted a rule that allows schools to identify and help facilitate NIL deals for its athletes, which goes into effect Aug. 2. 

Talbot’s bill would also allow schools and affiliated individuals to directly engage in NIL deals if the NCAA, federal government or a court case allows them to do so. For example, that would allow LSU to provide direct payments to its national-champion gymnasts for appearing on a billboard promoting the university. 

The emergence of name, image and likeness in the last few years has majorly changed the landscape of college athletics, allowing players to tap into the multi-billion dollar industry that benefits from their unpaid labor. 

NIL has remained extremely controversial, with many fans believing it and the transfer portal, which allows players to easily switch schools, have changed college athletics for the worse. 

“I’m for this because it’s to keep us competitive, but … I think NIL is ruining college sports and is absolutely decimating small schools,” Rep. Charles Owen, R-Rosepine, said. 

Talbot’s proposal would also change financial literacy classes to an annual requirement for college student-athletes. Currently, they are only required to take a single class between their first and third academic years, though the bill reduces the minimum time length of these classes from five hours to two and a half hours. 

LSU athletes have ranked among the top-valued NIL athletes. Former women’s basketball player Angel Reese, who was recently drafted into the WNBA, had an NIL valuation of $1.7 million, while gymnastics star and influencer Livvy Dunne had a valuation of $3.5 million, USA Today reported. 

A series of lawsuits related to name, image and likeness are working their way through the federal courts that could further alter what some have called the “wild, wild west” of college athletics. 

One federal lawsuit against the NCAA was filed by former college athletes seeking back pay for players’ NIL valuations between 2018 and 2020. Attorneys for the plaintiffs believe the compensation to be worth between $200 million and $1 billion, Front Office Sports reported. 

If the judge were to side with the former athletes, schools will likely shift toward revenue sharing, which could happen within the next few years. Talbot’s bill does not address revenue sharing. 

The bill will next be discussed by the full House of Representatives.