COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation that would prohibit middle and high school athletes in Ohio from earning compensation tied to their name, image or likeness, a move that would set strict limits on NIL activity at the pre-college level.
House Bill 661 would bar student-athletes in grades seven through 12 from receiving compensation connected to their participation in interscholastic athletics or their position on a team roster. The bill is sponsored by Reps. Bird and Odioso and has more than a dozen Republican cosponsors.
Under the proposal, schools, school districts, interscholastic athletic conferences, and organizations that regulate interscholastic sports would be prohibited from allowing NIL compensation for middle or high school athletes. The ban would apply to public schools, charter and community schools, STEM schools, college-preparatory boarding schools, and both chartered and certain nonchartered nonpublic schools.
If a student-athlete were found to have earned prohibited compensation, the bill would require that athlete to be barred from competing in the specific sport connected to the compensation. The athlete would still be permitted to participate in other sports not related to the NIL activity.
The legislation also directs organizations that oversee interscholastic athletics to adopt rules establishing procedures to investigate alleged violations and to determine whether prohibited compensation was received. Those rules would also be required to include an appeals process allowing a student-athlete to seek reinstatement through the organization’s executive officer.
The proposal comes as NIL compensation has become widely accepted at the collegiate level nationwide, while rules governing younger athletes vary by state.
The bill has been introduced but has not yet been scheduled for committee hearings in the Ohio General Assembly.