Iowa High School Athletes Now Eligible for Pay from Name, Image, & Likeness

(Des Moines, IA) -- Iowa High School athletes are now eligible to make money from the use of their Name, Image, and Likeness. The change comes after the Iowa High School Athletic Association announces an update to its handbook policy, now allowing Iowa boys and girls to profit off of their identity.

"Is anybody in Iowa going to get that $9 million deal? I don't know. Are they gonna get a $5,000 deal? I don't know, but if those things come their way, at least now, they have a little bit of verbiage they can lean on," says IHSAA Director Tom Keating.

Keating says any NIL deals for students can't involve their school.

"You use our uniform. You use our school, our logo," says Keating. "It's not just your name, image, and likeness. It's ours. We want to guide students, but just keep it separate."

The IHSAA regulations note the following restrictions to NIL pay:

• The compensation is not contingent on specific athletic performance or achievement (e.g., financial incentives based on points scored).
• The compensation (or prospective compensation) is not provided as an inducement to attend a particular school (“undue influence”) or to remain enrolled at a particular school.
• The compensation is not provided by the school or an agent of the school (e.g., booster club, foundation, etc.).

Additionally, in seeking NIL compensation, IHSAA states the following:

• The student should not use the IHSAA or member school marks or logos in any NIL activity.
• The student should not wear apparel or equipment which includes the IHSAA logo or member school marks or logos for the purpose of any NIL activity.
• Student should not reference the IHSAA or member school name or mascot for the purpose of any NIL activity.
• The student should not use a member school’s facilities for the purpose of NIL activity.
• The student should not promote activities nor products associated with the following: gaming/gambling; alcoholic beverages, tobacco, cannabis, or related products; banned or illegal substances; adult entertainment products or services; or weapons (e.g., firearms).
• The student and his/her family should seek guidance from his/her member school.
• The student and his/her family should seek their own legal counsel and tax advice when considering any NIL activity.
• The student and his/her family should contact the NCAA, NJCAA, and/or NAIA to ensure any NIL activity does not jeopardize collegiate eligibility.

The IHSAA news release can be found here.