Judge rules public school athletes in North Carolina high schools can profit off NIL
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Judge rules public school athletes in North Carolina high schools can profit off NIL

Posted on by Matthew Reynolds

High school athletes at North Carolina public schools will soon be allowed to profit off their name, image, and likeness after a Wake County judged issued a ruling on Tuesday.

The decision by Wake County Superior Court Judge Graham Shirley made the decision to reverse State Board of Education policy, which currently prohibits high school athletes from using their name, image, and likeness to make a profit.

Tuesday’s ruling came as part of a lawsuit brought by the family of Faizon Brandon, the quarterback at Grimsley High School. He is the No. 1 player from the Class of 2026 and has committed to Tennessee.

“We’re pretty excited about this,” Mike Ingersoll, the attorney for the Brandon family, told HighSchoolOT.

Shirley ruled that the state board’s proposed permanent rule for name, image and likeness, which could go into effect at the start of the 2025-2026 season, will be the new rule immediately. However, the change will not take effect until after a written order is signed, which could happen in the next few weeks.

State lawmakers gave the state board authority to regulate name, image and likeness rules for public school athletes. But the board put in place a prohibition for the current school year. The lawsuit said that prohibition was not allowed by the state law.

The NCHSAA declined to comment on the ruling on Tuesday.

Brandon had an NIL offer from a national trading card company that he was not able to accept. On Tuesday afternoon, he posted on X, “AGTG,” an abbreviation for “All glory to God.”

The proposed permanent rule, which was scheduled to go to a public comment period this fall and potentially receive a vote by the State Board of Education in January, provides a number of guidelines and rules for NIL activities.

Under the rules, high school athletes will be prevented from engaging in NIL deals that involve things like alcohol, tobacco, and firearms. They also will not be allowed to take part in NIL activities that disrupt the school day, or while they are wearing their school uniform.

The rules will require high school athletes to conduct NIL training, and there will be reporting requirements for the athletes, schools, and the N.C. High School Athletic Association. An annual report will be given to the State Board of Education.

This is a breaking story. It will be updated.

Source: highschoolot.com