Florida Education Board to vote on allowing NIL deals for high school athletes

TAMPA, Fla. - The State Education Board will vote Wednesday on whether to allow high school student-athletes to cash in on their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). 

Many in favor of this rule change say it'll be a game changer for student-athletes, especially girls who don't have as many opportunities to make money as an athlete as they grow older.

READ: FHSAA votes to allow Name, Image, and Likeness deals for high school athletes

The Florida High School Athletic Association gave the policy its stamp of approval in June, voting unanimously to approve the NIL policy. 

The NCAA's rule change in 2020-2021 allowing for its student-athletes to profit through endorsement deals and other lucrative mediums for their performance on the field didn't just affect college athletes; it also applied to high school athletics. 

High schoolers across the country began cashing in almost immediately, but not in states where those deals were already banned, including Florida. It's now up to the Board of Education to cement the rule change. 

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The prospect of NIL being in play for high school student-athletes is already creating a lot of excitement for young athletes in the Tampa Bay area. 

Johnaven Reed plays basketball at Riverview High School as an incoming senior. He said he's excited about the new opportunities.

"I'm happy. I'm happy not just for me but every other athlete too," Reed said. "I just think I'm going to try to market myself a little better, post a little more, try to reach out to some agencies that'll want to brand me maybe and just keep pushing."

Student-athletes and their parents will need to negotiate any and all deals on their own, independent of their school. 

Many state rulemakers have stressed not allowing collectives, which exist in the college NIL landscape to create monetary initiatives to lure in potential athletes. Students also won't be able to use their school uniforms or logos without the school's permission. 

Promoting products and services like alcohol, gambling, and political or social activism would also be off-limits. 

"I think what we're doing is, we're saying there cannot be any groups that exist to collect funds from donors to facilitate NIL deals for student-athletes," FHSAA Board Member and Florida Department of Education Senior Chancellor Kimberly Richey said. "That's what a collective is. If you exist solely for that purpose, you cannot operate in Florida."

If approved by the State Board of Education, Florida would become the latest of some 30 states already allowing their teen athletes to make NIL deals.

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