Georgia House enacts NIL protections for high school athletes

Representative Brent Cox presented House Bill 383, dubbed the Georgia High School NIL Protection Act, saying the measure creates guardrails for name, image and likeness deals offered to high school athletes and helps prevent exploitative long-term contracts.

Cox gave an example of a high-school athlete who had an SEC-level NIL opportunity estimated at "roughly $1,000,000," and said the bill prevents high-school deals from rolling forward indefinitely: "What this does is it protects these student athletes from having these unended contracts at the high at the collegiate and the NFL level."

The bill requires that parents be party to high-school NIL agreements under relevant child-acting frameworks and prohibits the use of a high school’s logo or mascot in commercial NIL deals. It also calls for educational materials from athletic associations to increase financial literacy for student athletes and their guardians.

Members questioned enforcement, how to prevent unethical parental arrangements, and how NIL interacts with team sponsorships. The sponsor said existing child-actor protections and parental oversight mechanisms address many concerns and emphasized the bill’s protections for minors.

Supporters urged passage on grounds of protecting youth athletes and preserving fair recruiting practices. The House passed the bill unanimously (yeas 171, nays 0).