NCAA D-I Council to Review How NIL Policy Has Affected Student-Athletes

The NCAA announced Friday its Division I Council will review how the ability to sign name, image and likeness (NIL) contracts has impacted college student-athletes.

The Division I Board of Directors asked the council to investigate how the NIL rules are affecting "school choice, transfer opportunities, academics and mental health." Board chair Jere Morehead said they're aiming to see whether policies should be tweaked to minimize possible violations.

"We are concerned that some activity in the name, image and likeness space may not only be violating NCAA recruiting rules, particularly those prohibiting booster involvement, but also may be impacting the student-athlete experience negatively in some ways," Morehead said. "We want to preserve the positive aspects of the new policy while reviewing whether anything can be done to mitigate the negative ones."

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the NCAA could no longer prevent athletes from earning money during their collegiate playing careers, which brought an end to decades where the governing body insisted players retain amateur status to play college sports.

Erica Hunzinger of the Associated Press reported last month a review of NIL data collected by two tracking companies, INFLCR and Opendorse, showed deals for around 125,000 student-athletes or around 25 percent of all college players.

While some high-profile players, such as Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, have attracted lucrative NIL contracts, the average deal is more modest, averaging between $1,036 and $1,291, per Hunzinger.

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban is among the power brokers in college sports who've raised concerns about the system. He said recruiting is starting to become little more than "we all gotta make a deal" to beat out other interested schools.

"It's not about coaching and developing as much as it is, what kind of money can you make?" Saban told reporters in early February.

The Division I Board of Directors said how those deals are being obtained and whether the athletes are receiving "adequate representation" are among the other areas that will be covered in the review.

It also made a renewed call for congressional guidelines to govern NIL contracts. In July, NCAA President Mark Emmert said he was "very hopeful and optimistic" Congress would pass a bill in the regard, but so far, it hasn't occurred.

Emmert released a statement as part of Friday's announcement, saying potential recruiting violations are still being investigated despite the new NIL standards.

"We expect that all members and their representatives are abiding by current NCAA rules regarding recruiting and pay-for-play, which are in place to support student-athletes," he said. "We encourage school compliance staff to continue their diligence, and NCAA enforcement has and will continue to undertake investigations and actions against potential rules violations."

The council's report is expected in April followed by its final recommendations in June ahead of the 2022-23 school year.