CORAL GABLES — Flanked by legendary football players Jonathan Vilma and Corey Simon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Friday a bill that will allow college athletes in the state to earn money off the field starting in July 2021.
Although the law will not allow universities to pay athletes directly, it will permit outside compensation for the use of athletes’ names, images and likenesses.
“If you have a situation where you have a great athlete, particularly in football or basketball, whose likeness is being used to make millions and millions, and they don’t have an opportunity to get any of that, there’s something fundamentally unfair about that,” DeSantis said moments before signing the bill inside the University of Miami’s indoor practice facility.
DeSantis was applauded by Vilma, a former Miami Hurricane and former Pro Bowl linebacker in the NFL, and Simon, a former Florida State Seminole and Pro Bowl defensive tackle.
“We had always felt there was going to come a tipping point where student-athletes said ‘Enough is enough,’ ” Vilma said.
More than three dozen states are considering bills allowing payments to athletes. At least in the short term, this gives Florida (and California, which previously passed a similar law) a leg up in recruiting, which could force the hand of the NCAA, which is drafting proposals to be voted on in January. Some critics have accused the organization of dragging its heels on the issue.
Unsurprisingly, DeSantis said he has no problem with Florida universities having an edge, even temporarily.
“If you’re a blue-chip athlete wondering where you want to go, Florida is a good landing spot,” he said. “Stay in state. I don’t want to see anybody going to Clemson or Alabama.”
Athletes won’t be permitted to use school apparel or logos while making appearances.
One concern about the so-called NIL deals (name-image-likeness) is how much they open the door for boosters who own businesses to toss unchecked dollars at athletes, thereby creating recruiting bidding wars.
Vilma said the fact none of the money will come from the universities means it won’t damage the “purity” of college sports. Pointing to the effective date of July 1, 2021, Vilma said, “That puts a lot of pressure on the NCAA.” Vilma accused the organization of “kind of sitting back” on the issue.
“The time has come,” Vilma said.
UM Athletic Director Blake James, who introduced DeSantis, has expressed doubt about allowing individual states to set their own rules. He predicted the federal government eventually will have to step in.
Elsewhere in the state, the University of Florida said it will follow the law while Florida State’s athletics department is “withholding comment at this time,” according to a school spokesperson.
DeSantis said he supported the bill from its inception. He recalled watching a college marching band perform and thinking that any talented musician in that band was free to earn outside money even though athletes cannot.
“It was really treating athletes less favorably than the average student,” DeSantis said.
Simon said inability to earn a living can take a toll on athletes coming from families in need.
“A lot of kids sacrifice to come to college as student-athletes, because many of them were working, bringing money into the home, and the parents said, ‘You have to get an education,’ ” Simon said.
Although football and basketball players stand to benefit the most, Simon said he knew of a women’s soccer player who had a half-million Instagram followers.
“She should be able to take advantage of that,” he said. “We’re cheating these student-athletes.”
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DeSantis signs bill to allow college athletes to earn money off the field - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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