COLUMBUS, Ohio (JMN Sports) – The Ohio High School Athletic Association is considering a proposal that would allow high school students in Ohio to sign endorsement agreements.
Issue 12B – a Name, Image and Likeness ruling similar to the one set in college sports in the last year – was announced by the OHSAA on Tuesday as part of 14 referendum items for next month’s voting period from May 1-16.
“This proposed addition would now allow student-athletes to sign endorsement agreements, so long as their teams, schools, and/or the OHSAA logo are not used,” the OHSAA stated Tuesday. “and provided there are no endorsements that do not support the mission of education-based athletics.”
Alcohol, casinos, drugs, gambling, and tobacco were mentioned by the OHSAA as examples of non-permitted endorsements.
The proposal mirrors the groundbreaking NIL policy adopted into college athletics last June, which allowed student-athletes to sign endorsements without violating NCAA rules.