Florida's Billy Napier, Scott Stricklin Address NIL Law Modifications

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 7B into law on Thursday, removing certain Name, Image and Likeness restrictions in the state of Florida.

Photo: Florida head coach Billy Napier and athletic director Scott Stricklin; Credit: Alex Shepherd

In a political climate where almost no bill gets by without opposition, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 7B — centered around Name, Image and Likeness modifications in the Sunshine State — into law on Thursday, after the legislation unanimously passed through the Florida House and state senate with respective vote tallies of 113-0 and 34-0. 

Florida head coach Billy Napier and several Gators athletes — football offensive tackle Austin Barber, center Kingsley Eguakun and cornerbacks Devin Moore and Jason Marshall Jr. softball infielder Skylar Wallace and volleyball libero Elli McKissock — were in attendance when DeSantis put pen to paper.

Mike Norvell, Billy Napier, FSU players and Florida players attended the NIL bill signing, stripping away restrictions put in place in 2020. pic.twitter.com/B2wJhf1obx

— Andrea Adelson (@aadelsonESPN) February 16, 2023

The bill, introduced by Florida Rep. Chip LaMarca (R), is designed to remove certain restrictions in the original framework of Florida's Name, Image and Likeness laws that went into effect in July 2021, which specifically prohibited university staff such as coaches from assisting in the process of players receiving NIL deals. 

“We are appreciative of all the work done by everyone who made the NIL bill possible," Napier said in a Thursday statement. "We are also thankful for the invitation to travel to Tallahassee today to attend the signing of the bill. It was an educational experience for our six student-athletes who proudly represented their peers and University.” 

The legislation also creates protection for institutions from liability should a player's NIL value take a hit in a situation such as, hypothetically, a player being demoted on a depth chart or dismissed from a team. 

In an effort to protect athletes, the bill removes restrictions for players to sign with agents so long as the representative is licensed to be involved in the creation of NIL contracts.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin also expressed gratitude for the bill's passage on Thursday. 

“We are thankful for the Governor and the legislature for making this NIL bill a reality," Stricklin said. "We continue to be appreciative of all opportunities that our athletes have to be compensated for their name, image and likeness. NIL is a key ingredient to the Gators’ current and future success, and UF is fortunate to have a passionate and engaging fan base that cares about the success of our athletes.”

You can find a summary of the legislation below as provided by the state of Florida.

The bill modifies provisions relating to intercollegiate athlete compensation and rights in Florida. The bill removes:

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Requirements regarding compensation that intercollegiate athletes may earn from the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL) and restrictions on institutional involvement in NIL activities.

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Requirements and prohibitions for postsecondary educational institutions whose intercollegiate athletes seek to earn compensation or to have professional representation.

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Restrictions relating to contracts for the use of an intercollegiate athlete’s NIL.

The bill retains the requirement that institutions offer a financial literacy and life skills workshop for intercollegiate athletes, but requires each workshop to include entrepreneurship, modifies the timing of the training, and requires the second workshop to be more rigorous than the first.

The bill protects postsecondary institutions and their staff from liability related to loss of an athlete’s ability to NIL compensation due to routine decisions taken in the course of intercollegiate athletics.

Additionally, the bill removes an unnecessary provision relating to an athlete agent representing an intercollegiate athlete for NIL purposes. However, the bill maintains in statute the requirement an athlete agent must be licensed for the purposes of contracts that allow an intercollegiate athlete to profit from the commercial use of her or his NIL, and be protected from unauthorized appropriation and commercial exploitation of her or his right to publicity.

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