New name, image and likeness legislation in Florida has opened a world of opportunities for Gators student-athletes.
While student-athletes are excited for what they can gain, they also face new challenges to navigate in the world of NIL.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis passed NIL legislation Feb. 16. The law allows coaches to be more involved in student deals while providing more NIL education for college athletes. The bill also requires student athletes to take additional life skills and financial literary coursework.
The NCAA’s NIL rules allow student-athletes to be compensated through advertisements and endorsements.
The legislation sparked mixed concerns among student-athletes who voiced both their praises and apprehensions about the bill.
Former Gators gymnast Leah Clapper felt it was a step in the right direction.
“Being a student-athlete pursuing NIL deals, it's really exciting,” Clapper said. “Being able to have your school and your coaches on your side is a huge weight lifted off and can have some really positive impacts for a lot of athletes.”
Clapper was involved in more than 25 NIL deals and started her own business, NIL Island. The business focuses on helping athletes pursue NIL opportunities by clarifying tools and resources.
“The athlete would ultimately be the one signing the contract, but if the coaches or other people involved in the negotiation are not on the same page,” she said, “that just gets all the more complicated.”
The gymnast said the bill was complex and there were strengths for future NIL athletes but pertinent weaknesses as well.
“There’s a million different ways that it could go,” she said. “While it opens the door for a lot of additional opportunities. It also opens the door for increased tensions between the different parties.”
The law wouldn’t make a difference for big-name athletes with experience in NIL deals, but it would pave the way for new athletes, she said.
“I think for the athletes, in the middle, who are trying to get into it more, dipping their toes in, or athletes who haven’t thought about it much but are interested,” Clapper said. “This will really push them forward.”
In 2020, DeSantis made Florida one of the first states to allow NIL deals. The bill ensured student-athletes profited from NIL through a third-party vendor but was layered with protections.
It held a provision forbidding schools, teams and coaches from allowing any money to go to athletes. DeSantis’ new legislation still does not permit them to pay athletes directly, but they do have a louder voice by letting them facilitate deals.
Florida football head coach Billy Napier spoke about UF’s NIL efforts at the 2023 Southeastern Conference Media Days July 19.
“There's strength in numbers relative to NIL and I think we have created some great opportunities through this organization [Florida Victorious] that is doing, NIL,” Napier said. “I think our players have benefitted, and it's helping the Gators, there's no question about it."
UF senior diver Anton Svirskyi explained increased involvement from coaches can be positive — provided they guide and protect athletes.
Lawmakers’ intended for agents to protect their athletes from being taken advantage of in NIL deals. However, coaches can not be held responsible for any choices that hinder a player’s ability to earn NIL money.
“There could also be concerns about coaches exploiting their athletes’ influence or prioritizing financial gains over the athletes’ best interests,” Svirskyi wrote in an email.
Svirskyi added how the bill subjected athletes to higher pressure, stress and scrutiny from their coaches than ever before.
“I think coaches should not take part in student-athletes’ NIL deals as this involvement blurs the line in the coach-athlete relationship,” he wrote.
Contact Krisha Sanghavi at ksanghavi@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @krishasang.
Krisha Sanghavi is a third-year public relations and economics major. In her free time, she loves cheering on Miami sports teams and spending time with her friends.
