COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Member schools of the Ohio High School Athletic Association have approved a proposal allowing high school student-athletes to receive compensation for their name, image and likeness.
A total of 447 schools voted in favor of the proposal, 121 schools opposed it, and 247 abstained.
“We would like to thank our member schools for taking ownership of this NIL bylaw proposal,” OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute said in a statement. “Whether our schools or individuals agree with NIL at the high school level or not, the courts have spoken on this issue across the country that the NCAA and high school athletic associations cannot prevent a student-athlete from making money on their NIL.”
Member schools spent the past week voting on the proposal, which was introduced in October after a lawsuit was filed by Huber Heights Wayne football player Jamier Brown and his mother, Jasmine.
Brown, one of the top-rated players nationally in the class of 2027 and already committed to Ohio State, is represented by an attorney who said he could receive significant financial benefits from NIL. However, under prior OHSAA rules, accepting those deals would have made him ineligible to compete.
Franklin County Judge Jaiza Page recently granted a temporary restraining order against OHSAA eligibility rules that prohibited high school athletes from signing endorsement deals while maintaining amateur status.
Under the new OHSAA bylaws, student-athletes are permitted to accept NIL deals as long as they do not use the name, logos, mascots, trademarks or other property of any OHSAA member school.
Student-athletes are prohibited from engaging in personal branding activities during school hours or while traveling to or from any OHSAA event. They are also prohibited from accepting compensation based on athletic performance, such as for the number of points scored.
The bylaws prohibit student-athletes from accepting deals intended to influence them to attend a specific school, and schools are not permitted to arrange deals on behalf of student-athletes.
When entering an NIL agreement, student-athletes must notify OHSAA within 14 days or risk being declared ineligible for up to 20% of the season.
The new bylaws take effect immediately.