TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Thursday related to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) for college student athletes.
According to the governor’s office, HB 7-B, repeals the state's 2020 NIL law.
The legislation notes that athlete agents who represent college athletes for contracts related to the use of name, image and likeness must protect the student from unauthorized or exploitative use of NIL or their right to publicity.
The legislation will protect colleges and universities for damages to an athlete's ability to earn compensation for use of NIL as a result of decisions normally taken in the course of intercollegiate athletics.
Student athletes are required to take two financial literacy, life skills and entrepreneurship workshops before they graduate.
“In 2020, we took a commonsense approach to ensure that student-athletes could control their name, image and likeness and be paid fairly for it,” DeSantis said in a statement. “Now that the NCAA has taken necessary steps to ensure fairness for student-athletes, we can focus on making sure that those athletes are supported and protected under the law.”
The NCAA is the governing body for member colleges and universities and the schools' athletes.
Florida State University head football coach Mike Norvell along with FSU student athletes met the governor at the capitol.
University of Florida head football coach Billy Napier and student athletes from UF attended the meeting with DeSantis.
Prior to the governor signing the bill - Intercollegiate Athlete Compensation and Rights - it received bipartisan support from Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the Florida Legislature.
In the House of Representatives, 113 members voted for the legislation, zero voted no and six missed the vote.
Gallop Franklin II (D-District 8), who represents Gadsden County and portions of Leon County in the House, voted for the bill, while Allison Tant (D-District 9), who represents portions of eastern Leon County, northern Jefferson County and all of Madison County, missed the vote.
Mike Beltran (R-District 70), who represents parts of Hillsborough and Manatee counties in the House, explained his yes vote, "I do not believe that schools should be in the business of facilitating compensation to student athletes. However, given that NCAA rules now apparently allow this to some extent, I do not want Florida schools suffer disadvantage relative to other states."
In the Senate, 34 senators voted to support the bill, zero voted against the bill and six senators missed the vote.
Corey Simon (R-District 3), who represents Gadsden, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla, Liberty, Dixie, Franklin and Gulf counties, voted for the bill.
