NCAA approves interim policy allowing athletes to profit off name, image and likeness
30 June 2021
Governance bodies in all three NCAA divisions on Wednesday approved an interim policy allowing college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness.
Why it matters: The decision marks a seismic revamp of the NCAA's amateurism bylaws and allows athletes to begin profiting from their personal brands starting Thursday. It also comes just one day before NIL laws in at least eight states take effect.
- The NCAA Division I recommended the change in policy on Monday.
The big picture: The interim policy will remain in place until new federal legislation is drafted or the NCAA creates new NIL rules.
- Athletes can profit off their personal brands in activities consistent with the law of the state where the school is located, the NCAA said. "College athletes who attend a school in a state without an NIL law can engage in this type of activity without violating NCAA rules related to name, image and likeness."
- All NIL activities should be reported to the athlete's school.
- The policy "preserves the commitment to avoid pay-for-play and improper inducements tied to choosing to attend a particular school. Those rules remain in effect," the NCAA said.
What they're saying: NCAA President Mark Emmert called the decision "an important day for college athletes."
- “With the variety of state laws adopted across the country, we will continue to work with Congress to develop a solution that will provide clarity on a national level," he said. "The current environment — both legal and legislative — prevents us from providing a more permanent solution and the level of detail student-athletes deserve."
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.