JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida High School Athletic Association has begun taking input on name, image and likeness in the state as it explores allowing athletes to have earning power long before they get to college.
On Wednesday, the FHSAA released a brief survey to get feedback on a topic that has taken college athletics by storm. The nine-question survey poses topics like who should be able to provide an NIL deal, the maximum a student could earn, and any potential concerns respondents have.
Recommended Videos
On July 1, 2001, college athletes in Florida became eligible to profit off their name, image and likeness under a bill signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Since then, the NCAA has been overrun with questionable NIL practices by school-affiliated collectives or boosters. The NCAA has sought help from the government to draft federal NIL language to navigate the minefield of NIL which is loosely regulated.
On the high school level, Florida is one just 16 states that do not permit NIL right now. Last October, the Georgia High School Association voted overwhelmingly to permit high school athletes to be able to profit off their NIL. And it is a booming business.
The sports website, On3, has an NIL valuation tracker, with USC freshman basketball player Bronny James topping the list at a value of $5.8 million. Georgia quarterback and Mandarin High School grad Carson Beck ranks No. 10 on that list at $1.4 million.
NIL has been a simmering issue in Florida. The FHSAA was sued in a Miami court in January 2022 by Westminster Christian School baseball player Sal Stewart and University of Miami football player Gilbert Frierson to allow athletes in Florida to profit off their NIL.