NCAA introduces proposal to grant colleges more involvement in NIL negotiations

The NCAA is moving one step closer to allowing the NIL process to go from start to finish in-house at the college level.

According to a report from Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger, the NCAA’s NIL working group has introduced a proposal that would permit schools to give “assistance and services” to their student-athletes in pursuit of NIL opportunities.

The proposal would make it permissible for schools to help identify NIL opportunities for student-athletes, as well as helping to orchestrate deals with third parties.

Much of that activity is currently prohibited by NCAA guidelines.

However, with the various state laws on the books differing in quite material ways, the NCAA has sought to level the playing field by being a little less restrictive with its own covenants. The organization is also under pressure legally, with several potentially damaging court cases outstanding.

There have been plenty of vocal critics of the NCAA’s current NIL policies, many of them college coaches. Even some who seem to be benefiting the most from them, like Ole Miss‘ Lane Kiffin, who referred the current state of affairs as a ‘disaster.’

“It just probably sounds strange to a lot of people for me to say the disaster when we’re out there — some would say — maximizing it as well as you can and as well as anybody,” Kiffin said. “But to me, that tells you how much of a disaster it is. Even though it benefits us, I’m still telling you it’s a disaster even though it benefits us at Ole Miss a lot.”

Kiffin offered a few potential ideas to help rein in NIL and make it a bit more equitable and over-the-table.

“I would get some structure around it to make them employees so they have real contracts that everyone can see,” Kiffin said. “So you know what the market and people can’t say ‘I have this’ or ‘I’m making this.’ Then there would be revenue sharing involved, so it would be more equal what they’re getting. And then there would be a cap.”

Most of the NCAA’s new proposal would streamline the process and allow for more standardized protections to be put in place.

Yahoo! Sports also highlights where the new proposal tracks with NIL protections adopted in January. Writes the outlet:

That legislation creates (1) a voluntary registration process for NIL professional service providers such as agents and advisors; (2) a disclosure database of athlete NIL deals of $600 or more; and (3) standardized NIL contracts as well as a comprehensive educational plan.

The NCAA is working with third-party provider Teamworks to help facilitate agent registry and disclosure.

On3 will have more on this developing story shortly.