Some Ohio lawmakers want to block middle and high school students from making money off their name, image, and likeness.
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High schoolers have been able to do this since November.
That’s when Ohio high schools voted to change their rules and allow student athletes to make name, image, and likeness (NIL) money.
Wayne High School standout Jamier Brown sued the Ohio High School Athletic Association over name, image, and likeness, or nil, money.
It led to a short-term order from a judge in his favor.
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The ruling prompted the OHSAA to draft its own NIL policy and hold an emergency vote from membership to change its rules and allow NIL permanently.
“To see legislation that tries to undo that which the member institutions of OHSAA voted positively for and to see what is continuing to happen in states all across the country, it’s challenging to hear that,” Luke Fedlam, Jamier Brown Family Laywer said.
News Center 7 spoke to Fedlam Monday about a new plan at the Ohio statehouse that takes aim at the change his lawsuit achieved.
House Bill 661 would “... prohibit a middle or high school athlete from earning compensation from the athlete’s name, image, or likeness.”
“Listen, I don’t wanna ever limit anybody’s success, but I feel like when students are in high school, they have one thing to do and that’s to learn,” State Rep. Rodney Creech (R) - West Alexandria said.
Creech is one of the bill’s co-sponsors.
After the more than 800 OHSAA member high schools approved the change with a “yes” vote by a nearly four-to-one margin.
News Center 7 asked Creech why state legislature needs to get involved if the OHSAA has already approved the measure.
“Well, I think the OHSAA, I’ve disagreed with them on things before, and it’s okay to disagree with them. And we are the state legislature, we’re elected by the people to make decisions, and these decisions affect our kids and our communities. And again, we need to focus on education, character building, teamwork. That is what high school sports is all about,” Creech said.
This bill has a long way to go before getting to the governor’s desk, but News Center 7 will track it and let you know what happens to it at the statehouse in Columbus.
News Center 7 reached out to the OHSAA for comment today, but has not heard back.
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