Gators taking advantage of new NIL policy

By
Ethan Hughes
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A new era in college athletics began on Thursday. All NCAA athletes can now profit off of their names, images and likenesses, commonly referred to as NIL. In short, this means that they can make money from things such as endorsement deals with companies, merchandise sales and YouTube videos that were against NCAA rules previously, provided that the school is not involved in the payment and with restrictions on boosters.

It didn’t take long for UF football players to take advantage.

Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, wide receiver Jacob Copeland, defensive back Trey Dean (TD3clothing.com), quarterback Emory Jones and running back Malik Davis have designed apparel that fans can purchase.

https://twitter.com/eXjones6/status/1410668374795993088?s=20

Dexter also runs a YouTube channel with his girlfriend that they’ll now be able to profit from, as does defensive end Princely Umanmielen.

Meanwhile, safeties Rashad Torrence, Corey Collier and Dakota Mitchell, cornerbacks Ethan Pouncey and Avery Helm, defensive ends Justus Boone and Umanmielen, defensive tackle Desmond Watson, offensive lineman Richie Leonard and tight end Kemore Gamble have all signed social media deals with Yoke Gaming.

Watson also signed a deal with Spencer’s Jerkin’ Jerky.

https://twitter.com/jerkinjerky/status/1410744936018833412?s=20

While freshman safety Donovan McMillon hasn’t signed a deal yet, he has retained the legal services of Darren Heitner, a former sports agent and a current sports law professor at UF, in his pursuit of future opportunities.

Other athletes have posted messages on social media that indicate that they’re searching for endorsement deals.

While football and men’s basketball players will receive the most money and therefore the most attention, athletes in the Olympic sports will also benefit. For example, gymnast Leah Clapper has a popular blog and podcast. And can you imagine how much money swimmer Caeleb Dressel and hurdler Grant Holloway could’ve made during their times on campus?

Initially, it appeared that the Gators might enjoy a significant recruiting advantage, as Florida’s legislature was one of the first to pass an NIL bill, and it was scheduled to be the first to go into effect.

However, other states weren’t going to sit back and allow the three Power Five schools in Florida to play by a different set of rules than them, which created a domino effect. In response, most states moved up the date of their NIL bill to July 1 of this year, passed new NIL legislation or have legislation pending.

With an uneven playing field impending, the NCAA Division 1 Board of Directors approved an interim policy that makes profiting off of name, image and likeness legal nationwide on Wednesday. The NCAA and/or Congress are expected to eventually make this policy permanent.

While college athletes will make a ton of more money in what has become a multi-million-dollar industry, there are still plenty of lingering concerns, questions and unknowns. Critics of NIL legislation claim that the bills are too vague in what is allowable, which will provide grey areas for schools to skirt around NCAA rules and could lead to athletes unknowingly making themselves ineligible.

There are also concerns that the vastly different amounts of money that athletes will make could lead to division within locker rooms and make the offseason nothing more than a scaled-down version of NFL free agency.

Then there’s the issue of what types of companies athletes can sign with. Can universities block athletes from signing with bars, tobacco companies or other businesses that they feel contradict the athletic department’s standards?

And, of course, all of this could become a distraction. Will players be able to focus on getting better and preparing for games when their phones are blowing up from people wanting to sign them to deals?

To educate its athletes on the benefits and potential pitfalls of NIL, UF created the Gators Made program in January, with the stated goal of “providing student-athletes with enhanced tools for career success.”

“The comprehensive and continued education of our student-athletes remains a priority in the Gators athletic program,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement released in January. “A staple of those programs over the years has been financial literacy, along with career and personal skills development. Gators Made adds personal brand and social media development to better position student-athletes for current and long-term success.”

Additionally, the University Athletic Association posted its interpretation of the new state law on its website.

Here are the rules:

  • Student-athletes may earn compensation for their name, image and likeness. Such compensation must be within fair market value.
  • The University of Florida, the athletic department, staff members or boosters may not compensate or arrange compensation to a current or prospective intercollegiate athlete for her or his name, image, likeness.
  • Compensation may not be provided in exchange for athletic performance or attendance at the University of Florida.
  • The expectation is that NIL compensation opportunities will not conflict with academic or team-related activities.
  • Student Athletes will only be allowed to use University or athletic department related marks and logos, including all aspects of the uniform, if those rights have been secured through an agreement granting specified rights. You can request sponsorship information and/or an agreement by contacting Gator Sports Properties. Information and licensing agreements pertaining to retail products can be sourced through The Collegiate Licensing Company.
  • Student-athletes will not be permitted to enter into NIL agreements with gambling/sports wagering vendors or any vendors associated with athletic performance enhancing drugs.
  • The use of athletic department facilities will require approval in advance (location agreements, including waiver of liability forms and applicable rental fees). Rental and waiver of liability agreements will be coordinated with the Operations Department.
  • Student-athletes must disclose within four days of any NIL agreements to the athletic department. (through forms shared through Teamworks). This is not an approval process but a component of the Florida state law.
  • The duration of a contract for representation of student-athlete or compensation for the use of Name, Image and Likeness may not extend beyond participation in athletic program at institution.
  • Student-athletes may secure representation (agent or lawyer), ONLY for Name, Image and Likeness and NOT for future professional athletic contract negotiations. Student athletes cannot enter into any such written or oral agreements for Name, Image and Likeness before July 1.
  • An athlete agent representing a student-athlete for purposes of securing compensation for her or his name, image, likeness, or persona must be licensed in the state of Florida.
  • An attorney representing a student-athlete for purposes of securing compensation for her or his name, image, likeness, or persona must be a member in good standing of The Florida Bar.
  • A student-athlete under the age of 18 years must have any contract for compensation for her or his name, image, likeness, or persona approved under state statutes 743.08 and 743.09.
  • International student-athletes should not enter into any NIL agreements without the guidance from the University of Florida International Student Center to guard against any potential immigration issues.
  • The Hawkins Center will provide student athletes with financial literacy, brand building and educational workshops focusing on the areas of Name, Image and Likeness.
  • Pell Grant or need-based financial aid could be impacted based on compensation from Name, Image and Likeness. Those questions should be directed to the University of Florida Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Ethan Hughes
Ethan Hughes
Ethan was born in Gainesville and has lived in the Starke, Florida, area his entire life. He played basketball for five years and knew he wanted to be a sportswriter when he was in middle school. He’s attended countless Gators athletic events since his early childhood, with baseball being his favorite sport to attend. He’s a proud 2019 graduate of the University of Florida and a 2017 graduate of Santa Fe College. He interned with the University Athletic Association’s communications department for 1 ½ years as a student and also wrote for InsideTheGators.com for two years before joining Gator Country in 2021. He is a long-suffering fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars. You can follow him on Twitter @ethanhughes97.