North Carolina judge rules that NC public school athletes can profit off NIL: Report

A Wake County judge approved that athletes can profit off their name, image and likeness

Hoggard's #8 Ryan Mcallister catches a pass for a few yards as Hoggard took on Weddington High School in the 4A Football Championship at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh Saturday Dec. 9, 2023. Weddington beat Hoggard 56 -21 to win the State Championship. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK

NIL is officially coming to the state of North Carolina.

According to a report by the HighSchoolOT.com’s Brian Murphy & Nick Stevens, a Wake County judge on Tuesday has ruled that public school athletes are able to profit off their name, image and likeness.

Per the report, what triggered the ruling was as part of a lawsuit brought upon by the family of Grimsley High School’s quarterback Faizon Brandon, who is committed to Tennessee.

The 2026 signal caller per multiple recruiting services is the No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina. Brandon this season has thrown for 821 yards on 55-of-70 passes (78 percent) and seven touchdowns.

Back in June, the board passed a temporary bylaw banning all NIL activities for student-athletes throughout North Carolina. The proposed rules that will be very similar to what was passed initially by the NCHSAA back in the late spring.

Down below is the proposal that was previous passed by the NCHSAA:

The NCHSAA’s proposal required athletes, along with parents/custodians, coaches, athletic directors and principals to complete the National Federation of High Schools’ NIL course annually. Students would then be allowed to use NIL to profit from things like appearances, autographs, camps and clinics, group licensing deals, social media and product endorsements.

School staff, including all coaches, could not use NIL for recruitment or enrollment, nor act as a student-athletes’ agent or marketing representative. Student athletes would also be prohibited from using their NIL in certain fields or companies, like those involving cannabis, alcohol, gambling or adult entertainment. Violation of the policy will trigger a 60-day suspension. 

Students would also be required to disclose NIL agreements with their respective schools and athletic director. The athletic director must submit those to the NCHSAA electronically.

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Wake County Superior Court Judge Graham Shirley's decision to rule that high school athletes in North Carolina can begin to profit off NIL speeds up when the proposed rules would go into effect, as the plan was for the start of the 2025-2026 season. Now, the rules would take effect immediately instead.

Per the report, the NCHSAA declined to comment on the ruling.

We will have more on this breaking story as more information is gathered

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