West Virginia middle school and high school athletes are now able to get paid for name, image and likeness deals.
The state school board approved the action in July and it officially went into effect last Friday.
Here is an excerpt about the new NIL rules from WestVirginiaWatch.com:
Wayne Ryan, executive director of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, said the state’s new policy sets general guidelines that will protect students from violating their eligibility under amateur athlete rules.
“It’s basically going to have to be evaluated on a case by case basis,” he said, adding that they pulled from other states’ polices to create a starting point for student athlete NIL in West Virginia.
“We’re just trying to serve the student athlete appropriately and keep our competitive rules and policy in place,” Ryan added.
The policy put forth by the WVSAAC outlines how students can use their NIL for monetary gain. It bans school employees, including coaches, from being involved in a student athlete’s use of their NIL.
Students are prohibited from making any reference to their school or wearing their school’s logo when engaging in any NIL activity. For example, they couldn’t wear their high school football or cheerleading uniform while participating in a local television commercial. Students also can’t reference the WVSAAC.
