KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics recently passed legislation to allow its student-athletes the opportunity to be compensated for use of their name, image and likeness.
The legislation approved by NAIA membership on Oct. 6 follows a year-long discussion on the topic and extends previous legislation relaxing NAIA rules related to amateurism and NIL, according to a press release on the NAIA website.
The six Montana-based Frontier Conference schools are members of the NAIA.
The legislation, which is an amendment to existing language under the NAIA Amateur Code according to the release, allows a student-athlete to receive compensation for promoting any commercial product, enterprise, or for any public or media appearance. Additionally, it is now permissible for a student-athlete to reference their intercollegiate athletic participation in such promotions or appearances the release said.
“This is a landmark day for the NAIA, and we are happy to lead the way in providing additional opportunities for our student-athletes,” said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr in the release. “The time was right for the NAIA to ensure our student-athletes can use their name, image and likeness in the same ways as all other college students.”