Mit Winter Quoted in Kansas City Star Article Focused on State Laws Allowing College Athletes to Receive Name, Image, and Likeness Compensation
Starting July 1, college athletes in a number of states will be able to be paid for the use of their names, images, and likenesses. To ensure that their universities won’t be left behind in recruiting, states are rushing to pass their own laws allowing college athlete NIL compensation.
Kennyhertz Perry’s Mit Winter recently discussed this issue with the KC Star’s Sam Mellinger:
“If you’re recruiting a kid in Kansas City, if he picks Missouri over Kansas we’re dealing with apples and oranges,” KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self said. “It’s not going to be a level playing field.”
The issue is already embedded in recruiting. Self said he’s been asked about it by recruits, and that coaches need to be prepared. Fifteen states have passed NIL laws, with six set to take effect in July. Schools in those states are including potential NIL opportunities in their recruiting pitches.
There is a chance this could be a short-term issue. The NCAA announced its Division I Council is “expected to act” on NIL proposals next month. Mit Winter, an attorney at Kennyhertz Perry in Kansas City, has studied and worked in this space and said one possibility would be for the NCAA to enact a one-year waiver granting NIL rights while it works out the details of a permanent rule.
There is also the possibility that Congress could pass one of three NIL bills, including one proposed by Kansas senator Jerry Moran. Action by the NCAA or Congress would give all schools in all states the same rules.
“Right now it really is all about recruiting,” Winter said. “That’s why those states are passing laws so quickly.”
This article can be read in its entirety at this link: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mellinger/article251571963.html
More About Kennyhertz Perry’s Collegiate Sports Practice Group
The need for an attorney experienced in collegiate athletics has never been higher. From assistance with compliance, eligibility, scholarship, and transfer issues, to advice and representation relating to the newly emerging name, image, and likeness laws and legislation, universities, conferences, coaches, and college athletes often need an attorney to advocate on their behalf and to assist and advise on these types of issues.
The team at Kennyhertz Perry is uniquely suited to guide universities and college athletes through all of these types of issues with respect to the multitude of rules and laws set forth by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations (NFHSAA).
The attorneys at Kennyhertz Perry all have years of experience advocating for clients in high stakes matters and advising them on related issues. In addition, and most importantly, attorney Mit Winter is a former Division I scholarship basketball player with extensive experience working on collegiate athletics legal matters. Mit has first-hand experience in understanding the pressures and demands faced by college athletes both on and off the field, and has represented a number of sports-related clients in his practice, including the Big 12 Conference, Conference USA, and the NCAA.
Mit is widely regarded as an expert in collegiate sports law and frequently writes on these legal issues. He is also the founder and chairman of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association’s Sports and Entertainment Law Committee and serves as a Regional Captain in the states of Kansas and Missouri for the Sports Lawyers Association’s (“SLA”) Outreach Committee.
Kennyhertz Perry’s college sports practice provides representation to those who are seeking an attorney with expertise to advise them on the myriad legal and compliance concerns prevalent in college athletics today. To learn more about the firm, visit kennyhertzperry.com.
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