“ We believe college athletes truly represent the # craveactivity lifestyle we live by , and strongly believe these athletes deserve to be rewarded for their hard work on and off the field .”
— Rhoback
J . R . Smith , who went straight from high school to a 16-year NBA career , enrolled at North Carolina A & T after his retirement to use his college eligibility and joined the golf team . In January , he signed with Excel Sports Management to represent him in potential NIL deals . Per an ESPN report , Smith has drawn significant NIL interest from clothing manufacturers , golf equipment and video game companies .
In many ways , NIL is still a wild-west proposition in college sports , as schools and states quickly react to enact their own policies that allow athletes to benefit from their status as Division I competitors . While the NCAA adopted an interim policy last summer allowing for NIL deals , that policy leaned heavily on guidance at the state level . on their websites that prohibit athletes from promoting any NCAA banned substance ; casinos or gambling ( including sports betting ); alcohol products ; adult entertainment ; cannabis or CBD products ; tobacco and electronic smoking products ; and weapons , including firearms and ammunition .
Athletes are not on their own in navigating the NIL process , as they must report to their respective school ’ s compliance office before signing any deal .
There are still plenty of questions on how NIL will evolve . The NCAA tried to assuage fear of college sports simply becoming “ pay for play ” in writing its interim policy , which still prohibits improper inducements tied to choosing to attend a particular school .
One thing to watch in the coming months : Donor-led collectives , which are expected to pop up at nearly every Power 5 program . Independent of a university , collectives can serve a variety of purposes . Most often collectives pool funds from boosters and businesses to help facilitate deals for athletes and also create their own ways for athletes to monetize their brands .
One example is Heels4Life at the University of North Carolina , founded by
UVA ' s Sky Sload former UNC linebacker Shakeel Rashad . Per On3 . com , the collective is designed to showcase Tar Heels football players and create revenue opportunities . Fans donate to become Heels4Life members , and players will receive compensation for delivering exclusive content and experiences to members . All money raised will go back to the players .
Burgess , who grew up in Lynchburg and is a member at Boonsboro Country Club , is nearing the end of his college career . He said he was “ stoked ” to partner with Rhoback , and he sees the future as wide open with regards to how future athletes can tie their athletic prowess to sponsorship deals .
“ The NIL deals are going to be seen as a bigger deal in the future , and I believe once more people are educated and start reaching out to companies and vice versa , it ’ s going to blow up very soon ,” Burgess said . “ It is important to give college athletes opportunities to get deals and partnerships with companies , especially if they plan to continue with their sport after college .”
✱ THE LOCAL IMPACT
In Virginia , former governor Ralph Northam added a provision to the state budget that allowed for NIL deals for college athletes in Virginia . That provision is set to expire at the end of the 2021-22 academic year , but a permanent law was expected to pass during the 2022 General Assembly session .
All of this has occurred as the USGA and R & A have rewritten the Rules of Amateur status , including the abolishment of restrictions for using one ’ s NIL to promote or advertise products .
There are limits , of course , to what an athlete can promote or advertise . Both Virginia and Virginia Tech have policies
CHRIS LANG VSGA ARCHIVES