Joined by state lawmakers, university leaders, coaches and student-athletes, Gov. Andy Beshear signed legislation Wednesday that allows student-athletes in Kentucky to receive fair compensation for the use of their name, image and likeness.
In June of last year, Beshear was the first governor nationwide to sign an executive order immediately allowing students to receive such compensation after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the NCAA and its rules limiting educational benefits for college players as part of their scholarships. Senate Bill 6 codifies the Governor’s Executive Order 2021-418 in state law.
“The Commonwealth of Kentucky will continue to recruit top athletes, and when student-athletes choose to come here to win titles and enjoy our outstanding collegiate environment, they know they have the same rights and opportunities as those in other states,” Beshear said. “We all agree, for any athlete, their name, image and likeness is their own and no one else’s.”
Many university leaders, athletic coaches and student-athletes applauded Gov. Beshear’s action.
University of Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari noted that the NIL bill was a bipartisan measure.
“I think people are going to read this bill from around the country and use it as model legislation the same way they did our executive order,” Calipari said. “This is exactly what we needed, and I am so proud of our state and appreciative of our legislature, the governor and all of our leaders.”
UK head football coach Mark Stoops said, “Dealing with name-image-likeness issues is an ongoing process for our student-athletes and our schools. This legislation will help our student-athletes continue to maximize opportunities while giving our schools more flexibility in supporting and protecting our young people.”
University of Louisville women’s basketball head coach Jeff Walz echoed those statements.
“Our student-athletes work extremely hard day in and day out, and this legislation now allows them to capitalize on opportunities from their name, image and likeness, which we fully support,” Walz said. “Many student-athletes also want to give back to the community, and this bill allows them to do even more of that.”
“The Commonwealth of Kentucky has shown again today that it will be a torchbearer in the name, image and likeness era, continuing the student-athlete-first mindset that our program has been built on for years,” said
Kyra Elzy, UK women’s basketball head coach, said the bill will have a “historic impact on young women in this state today and for years to come.”
Rhyne Howard, current UK women’s basketball guard and 2022 SEC Tournament champion and most valuable player, added, “Today’s legislation will have an impact on young girls for years to come. I appreciate our state legislature, the governor and administration at UK for working together to make an impact on so many.”
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the NCAA in a significant case that challenged the association’s ability to have national limits on benefits for athletes that are related to education, but more broadly the case has raised questions about the NCAA’s ability to limit benefits at all.
The NCAA Board of Governors has preliminarily approved changes to their eligibility rules that would allow such compensation, and the U.S. Congress has held hearings on creating a national standard for compensation. However, until that happens, Kentucky colleges and universities would have faced a competitive disadvantage without the governor’s executive order and Senate Bill 6.
Kentucky colleges and universities have been directed to provide education and other resources to assist students with financial literacy, time management and social media and brand management. Additionally, colleges and universities will retain the flexibility to reasonably limit the time, dates and associations from which the student-athlete may earn compensation.
