RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has issued an executive order allowing college athletes to earn money off the use of their names, images and likenesses.
Cooper’s order, signed Friday, comes one day after an NCAA rule change went into effect allowing athletes to profit from their fame without endangering their eligibility or putting their school in jeopardy of violating amateurism rules.
The NCAA’s move suspended restrictions on payments to athletes for opportunities such as sponsorship deals, online endorsements and personal appearances. It came after multiple states – such as Florida, Alabama and Mississippi – already pushed ahead with NIL laws permitting those actions as of Thursday.
Elsewhere, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order last week permitting players to cash in on NIL activities, while Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine did so this week.
Cooper’s three-page order outlines guidelines that include permitting schools to restrict players from entering into agreements if those conflict with an institution’s contracts or “negatively impact” the school’s image. According to a news release, the executive order sets “a standard for individual institutions to use as they formalize their own policies and procedures” while Cooper works with state lawmakers to pursue formal legislation to supplement the order.
Some schools, such as Duke in Durham, already have released their own NIL guidelines.