As of Friday, Feb. 16, the Utah House of Representatives passed a bill as part of the 2024 General Session that shapes the way student-athletes can use their name, image and likeness for profit.
HB 202, sponsored by Rep. Jordan Teuscher, will prohibit student-athletes from endorsing certain products, including tobacco, sports gambling and alcoholic beverages. It will also require that these athletes submit all agreements to the college before they can accept them so that the school may assess whether the contract conflicts with the institution’s policies or provisions.
These agreements, if valued at over $600, must be cleared by the university, but it would not be mandatory that they be listed on the state’s public record. This aspect of HB 202 directly correlates to legislative intent section 63G-2-102, which states, “The Legislature also recognizes a public policy interest in allowing a government to restrict access to certain records, as specified in this chapter, for the public good.”
However, Rep. Brett Garner protested the idea, stating that openness and transparency are necessary for college sports.
HB 202, the state’s first attempt to regulate NIL deals, originated from an appeal by Utah’s Division I universities of a requirement that all student-athlete agreements be public record.
This ruling protects the privacy of student-athletes in their NIL dealings while restricting the involvement of media.
“The obvious advantage [to the bill] is autonomy, flexibility and privacy that is afforded to the student-athletes. The important thing to remember is right now student-athletes are not university or state employees,” said Southern Utah University sports communication professor Hayden Coombs. “If that changes, then sure their NIL contracts can be public record, just like a coach’s contract.”
Story: Chevy Blackburn and Kale Nelson
Photo courtesy of SUU
Editor: Anna Mower
news@suunews.net
