HARRISBURG – Sen. Scott Martin (R-Lancaster) voiced his support for an Executive Order signed by President Trump on Thursday that will help protect student-athletes and college sports, including paving the way for uniform standards for Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) agreements.
The Executive Order creates a national standard for NIL that prohibits third-party, pay-for-play payments to college athletes while protecting the practice of athletes being paid fair-market compensation for making brand endorsements.
Martin sent a letter to President Trump in May requesting review and consideration of a federal solution to address NIL agreements to protect student-athletes and address urgent threats facing college sports.
Martin also sponsored Senate Resolution 350, which was approved by the Senate in October. The resolution urged Congress and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to work collaboratively to ensure NIL policies nationwide have uniformity, fairness, transparency and oversight.
NIL deals allow student athletes to make money by selling rights to use their name, image and likeness. These contracts were prohibited by the NCAA until a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (NCAA v. Alston) reversed the NCAA’s restriction.
A fact sheet published by the White House pertaining to the Executive Order notes: “Without Federal action to restore order, ongoing lawsuits and a patchwork of state NIL laws risk exploiting student-athletes and eroding the opportunities provided by collegiate sports.”
“As an author of one of the first NIL laws in the country, it became evident quickly that if all states aren’t playing by the same rules, then state lawmakers would continue to have to play whack-a-mole and react to whatever every other state tries to do to gain an advantage each year,” Martin said. “That definitely doesn’t create a level playing field and is not good for the long-term health of college athletics across this country. I’m grateful that President Trump’s Executive Order puts us on the right track to protect college sports, and more importantly, protect our college athletes.”
CONTACT: Jason Thompson
