Case Study - Arizona High School Student-Athlete NIL Infraction & Newly Proposed Guidelines

If you make it a point to pay attention to the Name, Image, & Likeness landscape at the high school level, then you know that over the past few months there have been quite a few states that have either:

• Had their state athletic association bylaws changed (added to) to permit NIL
  

• Had politicians move forward legislation in regards to High School NIL activity (regulations, restrictions, allowances, etc.)
  

• Held further discussions around all of the above

I've been blessed to be part of many of these conversations, and have had the opportunity to analyze and redline state policy and legislative considerations, discuss trends, as well as support associations / schools / administrators / coaches / parents / student-athletes with live and virtual workshops as the desire to proactively develop a further understanding of NIL at the High School Level continues.

As part of these opportunities, I spent a few days in Chandler, Arizona this past fall educating student-athletes and families on personal branding / social media strategy and understanding Name, Image, & Likeness. At the time, Arizona did not (and currently does not) allow NIL activities for high school student-athletes, but discussions around a shift and potential new policies for their state were in full effect. 

I was extremely impressed that Chandlers AD - Shawn Rustad, who knew the impact NIL was having on many of his student-athletes / families at the college level, wanted to be proactive in supporting NIL educational programming for high school stakeholders ensuring they understood Arizona's policy, but also wanted them to know enough to prepare for potential opportunities post graduation. 

Fast forward a few months (to this week), and the legislative council of the Arizona Interscholastic Association unanimously passed an amendment proposal to their bylaws that will expressly permit high school NIL activity for student-athletes. 

The language is a combination of a few different state policies, but most closely aligns with NIL guideline language from the Georgia High School Association (GHSA). 

The AD's who worked to develop this language did their due diligence, and throughout the process I was impressed with their continual questions and focus on ensuring they were doing what they believe is in the best interest of Arizona HS Athletics right now.