High School Status
Permitted
High School Governing Body
Status
What We Discovered
Tennessee became the 23rd state to permit Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the high school level. The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) released revised rules and regulations on amateurism on April 20, 2022,stating, “Students are permitted to receive payment for activities unrelated to performance provided they are conducted in a manner that does not imply the endorsement or sponsorship of their school.” The rules also updated the parameters surrounding this status.
Summary
College
NIL Law: House Bill 1351
Abstract | Full Law | Passed: 5/11/2021 | Effective: 1/1/2022
Amendment #1
Abstract | Full Law | Passed: 4 /20/2022 | Effective: 4/20/2022
NIL Law: Senate Bill 409
Abstract | Full Law | Passed: 5/9/2024 | Effective: 5/1/2024
Tennessee lawmakers amended the state’s NIL law in April to provide collegiate institutions and collectives more flexibility in supporting student-athlete NIL. Among a half-dozen changes to the law (which you can read in the link above) one key change allows an institution or an officer, director, or employee of the institution to assist a student-athlete in the development, operation or promotion of their NIL opportunities. However, these entities CANNOT provide student-athletes with compensation, only third parties can.
Senate Bill 709 amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, to regulate the compensation and rights of intercollegiate athletes regarding their NIL. It permits athletes to earn NIL compensation, requires disclosure of agreements to their institutions, and prohibits institutions or athletic associations from interfering with NIL activities, except in specified circumstances. Institutions cannot directly compensate athletes but may establish reasonable restrictions and are required to conduct financial literacy workshops. Athlete agents must be licensed, and NIL agreements must comply with existing laws and institutional contracts.
Summary
High School
Tennessee has become the 23rd state to permit Name, Image, and Likeness at the high school level. The Tennessee secondary school athletic association has released new verbiage of their rules and regulations under Amateurism stating that “Students would be permitted to receive payment for activities not related to performance provided that they are carried out in a manner that does not suggest the endorsement or sponsorship of their school.” The rules and regulations also go on to update the parameters surrounding the status. This can be found in Article 2, Section 18 under “AMATEUR RULE.”
Bylaws | Meeting Minutes for New Language in Handbook
Excerpt | Amateur Rule, Award Rule
Amateur Rule
Article II
Section 18. A student who has never received payment for performance in the sports which this Association governs and who has always contested under his/her own name is an amateur. (Accepting money for officiating athletic contests, payment for instructional services, or for working as an employee in a city or county recreation program is not a violation of this regulation.) A student who violates the amateur rule shall be ineligible for 12 months in the sport in which the violation occurs. Bowling, golf and tennis students will abide by USBC, USGA, and USTA regulations in accepting pay. Such a student may be reinstated as an amateur after a period of one calendar year from the time he/she was declared ineligible has elapsed, provided he/she has not violated the amateur rule during this period. Students may receive payment for activities not related to performance provided that they are carried out in a manner that does not suggest or reasonably suggest the endorsement or sponsorship of the TSSAA school. The student’s activities for which they are compensated may not include an image or likeness of the student in a uniform, or other clothing or gear depicting the name or logo of the TSSAA member school the student is attending or has attended. No reference to TSSAA accolades or championships may be used in the student’s activities for which they are compensated.