NASHVILLE, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) – Should college athletes be able to profit from their name, image, and likeness? That has been the long debated question. Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey has one message to the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Change is here.
“I think the NCAA’s time has come and gone and they can create all the study committees that they want to create, but this issue is here to stay,” said Kelsey, R-Germantown.
Kelsey filed legislation allowing college athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness.
“The NCAA and our universities have been making billions of dollars off these college athletes for way too long and it’s time for them to stop these archaic practices and to get into the real world,” said Kelsey.
Universities still would not be able to pay athletes, but private companies can.
“If we’ve got players who can get out there and get hired by Jacksaw the glass to be the spokesman, then let’s let them do that. Let’s let them take advantage of their own name and face,” said Kelsey.
The Senator also added a bit straight out of the fiasco with former University of Memphis Basketball player, James Wiseman, banning public universities from discriminating against payers based on a coach’s donation to colleges. They don’t even have to be worried in the back of their minds about the fact that they’re coaches one day. Then all of a sudden, a bag of popcorn that they get for their players is all of a sudden a gift and now players are banned from playing. That kind of nonsense has got to stop,” said Kelsey.
If passed, Tennessee would not be the first state with a law like this. California passed a similar bill in September which goes into effect in three years. Kelsey’s bill is modeled after the legislation in California.