Under a draft of the latest name, image and likeness (NIL) legislation, college athletes would be prohibited from striking deals until a semester into their college careers, but booster-led NIL collectives could provide “benefits” to athletes and their parents with a caveat: The collectives must sign a contract with their affiliated school.
A working draft from two senators, Tommy Tuberville (R., Ala.) and Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.), of NIL legislation grants the NCAA great authority, creates a medical trust for athlete health care, includes a bevy of athlete restrictions, requires athletes to use an NCAA-created standard contract and mentions booster-led NIL collectives by name. Sports Illustrated obtained a copy of the draft, which is not complete and could undergo changes as the senators receive feedback from college leaders and others.
In a story published Tuesday, SI briefly detailed concepts in the draft as part of a story about college leaders descending on Washington, D.C., to further encourage lawmakers to draft federal NIL legislation. The full Tuberville-Manchin draft can be read here. In this, a more in-depth look at the draft, Sports Illustrated outlines and explains concepts of the long-awaited bill.
