City of Philadelphia, Temple Law to Offer NIL Advice to Area High School Students

Follow WHIP Twitter Facebook Instagram

WRITTEN BY: Pablo Rouco

PHOTO BY: Pablo Rouco

Councilmember Isaiah Thomas and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law plan to offer high school and college student-athletes free guidance on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals and the National Letter of Intent process, Thomas announced Wednesday. This type of support for student-athletes is the first of its kind in the nation.  

“We are here today as legislators and educators to step up for student-athletes in the city of Philadelphia, especially those who are in poverty.” said Thomas. 

Starting today, students can call students and lawyers at a 24/7 hotline to get counsel from Professor Ken Jacobsen, director of Beasley’s sports law program, or another private attorney knowledgeable in NIL. The partnership aims to protect young athletes from predatory contracts and offer financial literacy support and tax services.

“We do not want to see any predatory contracts where young people will be played, the position where image and likeness will be taken advantage of long after they’re out of high school.” said Councilmember Isaiah Thomas.

On June 21, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a longstanding NCAA rule that banned athletes from making money off endorsement deals. In response, college sports’ governing body replaced the previous policy with “interim” rules that allow athletes across the nation to be paid for their name, image, and likeness. Since then, states have enacted a patchwork of contradictory regulations across the nation that have made it nearly impossible for student-athletes to navigate the brave new world of NIL. 

“Both on the college level as well as on the high school, it really has been described as the Wild West,” said Professor Jacobsen.

For state high schools, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) maintains a slew of rules and regulations that often make it difficult for teenage athletes to make sense of the NIL space. For example, the PIAA regs bar certain trusted adults — coaches, guidance counselors, and teachers, for example — from participating in students’ negotiations. Philadelphia City Council had passed its own NIL bill, but Councilman Thomas noted that then-mayor Jim Kenney had vetoed it, fearing that the new program would stretch the city’s resources too thin.

Councilmember Thomas noted in the press conference that then-mayor Jim Kenney vetoed his original NIL bill amid concerns that the financial obligations would be too much for the city to take on.

“Even if you’re allowed to get a NIL deal, a young high school athlete just doesn’t have — whether in Philadelphia, or across Pennsylvania, or the United States — just does not have that kind of preparation in order to understand the risks and benefits of these kinds of deals.” Jacobsen said.

Along with the hotline, the partnership plans to use easy-to-understand educational materials — like videos, webpages, and visits to area high schools — to help students understand NIL.

Student-athletes of any age can call Beasley Law’s new hotline at (215) 204-7787 and get legal assistance on a wide range of NIL-related issues.