COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order Monday that allows colleges in the state to directly pay student-athlete’s for their name, image and likeness.
The executive order comes as the NCAA and various athletic conferences have entered a proposed settlement for a variety of antitrust lawsuits.
Among the changes likely headed toward college sports is revenue sharing. It would allow schools to directly allocate revenue to student-athletes.
Athletes can currently earn revenue from NIL. However, the money is coming from third parties such as collectives or through sponsorships — for example, Ohio State football’s Caleb Downs has partnered with apparel company Rhoback.
The executive order, which is written to be effective immediately, allows schools to directly compensate — or offer compensation — to athletes for their NIL.
Compensation cannot come from funds provided by the state of Ohio, per the executive order.
The executive order is set to expire when the settlement comes into, “full operational effect.”