College athletes in Georgia are now allowed to collect endorsement and sponsorship money but it comes with a catch as their schools can take a significant cut of that money if they way.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed the state’s new bill regulation athletes’ name, image and linkers rights on Thursday. Kemp held his signing ceremony at the University of Georgia with a. Bulldog backdrop in the athletic department’s recruiting lounge.
According to Yahoo’s report, the bill that Kemp signed into law allows schools across the state to take up to 75% of an athlete’s endorsement income. The cut that is taken will then be deposited into a pool for all athletes at the school and then redistributed upon athletes’ graduation:
The provision is pretty straightforward. If the University of Georgia decided to implement the provision and take 70% of each athlete’s endorsement to redistribute, a player would only make $30,000 on a $100,000 endorsement signing.
Georgia is now one of many states that have moved ahead with a law allowing college athletes to get endorsements in contrast with longstanding NCAA rules. The NCAA has asked the federal government to provide a nationwide framework for athlete endorsements though no federal law governing athletes’ image rights is imminent.
