The GHSA offered its most recent guidance to student-athletes last week regarding name, image and likeness (NIL), urging them to take steps to not jeopardize their eligibility.
During Thursday’s GHSA executive committee meeting, it was advised for student-athletes to remove themselves from any NIL clubs immediately so as not to put their eligibility in jeopardy.
Those details have since been cascaded down to Greyhound and Lady Greyhound athletes as the fall sports season is on the threshold of beginning.
At Thursday’s baseball meet and greet event, Jones County Schools Athletic Director Chad Alligood reminded players that, if they were part of a recently launched NIL app, that they would be ineligible as of Aug. 1.
“NIL, it’s a slippery slope.
We were cautioned (Thursday) to educate our kids to make sure we don’t cost them their eligibility,” Alligood said. “As a coach and AD, you can’t control kids 24/7. You can give them the information, so that’s what we’re trying do.”
Under the current GHSA by-laws, student-athletes cannot be a member of or get compensation or other benefits from a collective or an NIL club.
A collective is defined as any group organized or existing for the purpose of compensating or benefiting an individual student athlete or a group of student athletes of a member school.
NIL Clubs are defined as a group of student-athletes organized or existing for the purpose of soliciting funds or other benefits from fans, members or other sources, managing or promoting NIL activities of student athletes or otherwise providing funds or other benefits to an individual student athlete or group of student athletes.
Booster clubs are not considered NIL clubs or collectives as long as they operate under the supervision of a member school and provide monetary or other benefits to school athletic facilities, school athletic equipment, school team meals or other school team benefits rather than to an individual student athlete or group of student athletes.
