By Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – After California did so, Illinois lawmakers are now racing each other to get legislation to Gov. J.B. Pritzker to allow college athletes to be paid for their name, image, and likeness, something the NCAA has long prohibited.
Starting in 2023, college athletes playing in California will be able to get paid for the use of their name, image and likeness. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill allowing for it into law Monday on an HBO show hosted by LeBron James.
“The jig is up,” Newsom said on “Uninterrupted.” “Billions and billions of dollars, $14-plus billion dollars goes to these universities, goes to these colleges, $1 billion-plus revenue to the NCAA itself and the actual product, the folks that are putting their lives on the line are getting nothing.”
The NCAA responded to Newsom’s decision by saying the league should dictate the compensation of athletes rather than leaving the matter up to a patchwork of laws.
“Unfortunately, this new law already is creating confusion for current and future student athletes,” the association said in a statement Monday. “We will consider next steps in California while our members move forward with ongoing efforts to make adjustments to NCAA name, image, and likeness rules that are both realistic in modern society and tied to higher education.”
In just five days, two bills have been filed in the Illinois House of Representatives that would do the same in Illinois.
Calumet City Democratic state Rep. Thaddeus Jones filed HB 3898 last Wednesday to keep a university or college from “upholding any rule, requirement, standard, or other limitation that prevents a student athlete of that institution from earning compensation as a result of the use of the student’s name, image, or likeness,” as well as placing other protections on athletes against punishment for being compensated. Jones has filed a similar bill in previous General Assemblies.
State Rep. Chris Welch, D-Westchester filed legislation Monday doing essentially the same.
States that have this provision in place would prove a very attractive recruitment tool for in-state universities over others residing in state that may still allow the ban on compensation.
Newsom predicted that other states would rush to follow California’s lead.
“It’s going to initiate dozens of other states to initiate similar legislation and it’s going to change college sports for the better by having now the interest, finally, of the athletes on par with the interest of the institutions,” he said.
The NCAA is responsible for 1,100 campuses and almost half a million student-athletes.
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