The metaphorical roller coaster that amateur athletes are on just took another hard turn. As of Oct. 20, Ohio lifted their ban on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals for high school athletes.
Franklin County Judge Jaiza Paige, placed a 45 day restraining order on enforcing the ban that allowed all athletes who compete in the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) to profit off of NIL deals. Principals of schools in the OHSAA will vote on a permanent injunction in the coming days. The official ruling will be announced Nov. 24, according to Dave Purpura of the Columbus Dispatch.
For athletes at Olentangy Berlin High School, the reactions are mixed.
“I think it’s a great opportunity, you know. People got big brands out there and they should be able to use that to their benefit,” Bryce Rode, ‘26 said.
For Cohen Worsham, ‘27, he doesn’t believe in the idea that athletes should be paid as amateurs.
“It takes away from what high school and college is supposed to be. It’s supposed to be working towards the NFL, or the pros and such,” Worsham said. “When you already have millions of dollars, you have nothing to work for.”
Historically, high school athletes could not make any sort of advertising or sponsorship deal. In 2022, a year after the NCAA voted in favor of allowing NIL deals, the OHSAA voted on whether or not they were going to follow suit. Ballot records showed a resounding 538 noes to 254 yeses, according to the OHSAA.
In Oct. the issue popped up again when the mother of junior football player, Jasmine Brown, filed a lawsuit against the OHSAA. Her son, Jamier Brown is a highly recruited wide receiver from Wayne High School, and is committed to play at Ohio State in two years. The family has claimed they missed out on over $100,000 in possible sponsorships, according to CBS News.
This led to the aforementioned lift on the ban that works to prevent high school athletes from making money off of NIL. The affair has since caught national attention and blown up on social media.
“Instagram is how I found out about it,” Rode said.
Even the college landscape of NIL is ever-changing. In June, the House approved a model that allows “revenue sharing”, which allows the individual schools to pay the players directly.
Rode, who is committed to Taylor University to play football, says he hasn’t heard much from them about said revenue sharing.
“I don’t know if they do that at Taylor or not,” Rode said.
With Rode being a senior, he will miss out on four full years of NIL eligibility. Given the uncertainty about money at Taylor, these next few months will be important if Rode wants to cash in on the potential new rule.
The lack of clarity seems to be a repeated theme in the world of amateur sports. But for now, all OHSAA athletes are on pins and needles waiting for the Nov. 24 ruling.
