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Compensation of student athletes has been banned by the NCAA for many decades. Their efforts to prevent this in the name of amateurism has come under scrutiny in recent years. The NCAA themselves have discussed allowing compensation for likeness as soon as 2021.
Today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced he is signing the bill that enshrines Florida student athletes’ rights to compensation into the Florida Statutes:
BREAKING: Florida @GovRonDeSantis is signing the college athlete name, image & likeness bill.
— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) June 12, 2020
Effective July 1, 2021, college athletes in Florida can sign paid endorsement deals. FL jumps CA as 1st state to give athletes these rights. Honored to have been part of this effort.
In a press conference held today at the University of Miami’s Indoor Practice Facility, Gov. DeSantis signed Florida Senate Bill 646 (House Bill 7051), “Intercollegiate Athlete Compensation and Rights”.
It’s official: Fla Gov Ron DeSantis signs bill allowing college athletes to earn $ for likeness, image, name. pic.twitter.com/2cs4ynzLod
— Michelle Kaufman (@kaufsports) June 12, 2020
The Florida bill is not the first image and likeness bill signed by a governor into law. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom signed in a similar bill; however Florida’s implementation begins July 1, 2021, well before the California bill’s effective date.
This is part of a wider movement by several states to ensure student athletes can receive compensation for their name, likeness, and image rights.
The bill may provide Florida schools a temporary recruiting advantage, which Governor DeSantis noted:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on new NIL bill he signed today: "I just want to say Florida is leading on this and if you're a blue-chip high school recruit out there trying to figure out where to go I think any of our Florida schools is a great landing spot."
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) June 12, 2020
Stay tuned to Tomahawk Nation for more updates and analysis on how this will affect Florida State Seminoles athletics.