Louisiana High School Athletic Association clarifies that its bylaws permit NIL

High school student-athletes in the state of Louisiana have the green light to monetize their name, image and likeness.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) executive committee released an NIL position statement during its spring meeting on Thursday clarifying that its bylaws currently allow student-athletes to receive NIL benefits.

“There is a lot to NIL and it’s a moving target that we need to stay on top of,” said Eddie Bonine, Executive Director of the LHSAA.

 Bonine added that their intention is to educate the association on NIL, not regulate it.

The position statement reads:

“LHSAA bylaws do not prohibit student-athletes from engaging in certain commercial activities in their individual capacities. These activities, generally referred to as Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), will not jeopardize a student athlete’s amateur status if the student-athlete complies with LHSAA Bylaw 1.25 on “Maintaining Amateur Status” as well as all LHSAA Bylaws, policies, and regulations. Compliance with LHSAA Bylaws regarding NIL does not ensure maintenance of eligibility under the eligibility standards of other governing athletic organizations (e.g. NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, national sports governing bodies, etc.). Student-athletes desiring information on the amateur rules of other governing organizations should consult with those organizations.” 

This announcement comes just a day after the committee approved a partnership with Eccker Sports to provide educational services and resources to help high school coaches, administrators, student-athletes, and parents navigate the disruption of NIL at this level.

Principals and athletic directors will be required to take the Eccker Sports NIL Playbook Course, which covers topics including the history of NIL and the legal, branding and financial considerations of NIL deals. Coaches, student-athletes and their families throughout the state will also have access to the programming. 

Leaders with the association believe this decision will put them at the forefront of change in supporting and protecting student-athletes and their families who choose to navigate the NIL landscape. 

“As new rules are established and things change from state to state, Eccker Sports and the LHSAA will constantly change with those updates. The coaches and administrators will always have the most current information available to properly guide our kids and their families. We want everyone to be prepared because even if you don’t have someone right now facing these challenges, you never know when you might, and we want everyone prepared when that time comes,” Bonine added.

To help achieve this, Eccker Sports is developing a four-pronged approach to helping the stakeholders in the high school market, including NIL Playbook Courses for coaches, administrators, parents, and student-athletes; a Resource Hub with vetted and up to date state-by-state information on NIL; a Coach Assist program offering high school coaches presentation templates, one-pagers, and other resources to help them guide their communities; and access to legal, financial and tax experts to help families make strategic decisions regarding NIL for their student-athletes.

“Our goal is to guide, protect and inform high school students and their families to help them thrive on their NIL journey,” Eccker Sports CEO and Founder Randy Eccker said. “By taking a proactive, impartial, and non-exploitive approach, we believe coaches, administrators, student-athletes, and their parents will be in a much better position to avoid trouble and succeed in this rapidly changing arena. We are excited to bring these important resources to the entire state of Louisiana.”

Louisiana joins seven other states that have permitted NIL at the high school level, including Alaska, California, Kansas, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York and Utah.

Seventeen other states are considering change and 26 states continue to prohibit NIL at the high school level.

Visit our interactive map to view the NIL status of each state.