Ohio high school principals will vote on an emergency referendum on name, image and likeness regulations next month.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors announced Thursday that voting will take place Nov. 17-21.
OHSAA members voted decisively against the NIL proposal in 2022, by a vote of 538-254. The OHSAA Board of Directors last month approved language for the nothing else proposal that they planned to vote on in May.
The timeline for the vote was accelerated after Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Jezza Page issued a temporary restraining order on Monday, allowing all students who are part of the 818 schools in the OHSAA to enter into their no-loss deals.
Ohio is one of six states with rules in place that do not allow high school athletes to accept payment for their name, image and likeness. The other states are Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi and Wyoming.
Jasmine Brown, Jemire Brown’s mother, filed the lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on Oct. 15 as a “parent or conservator.” Brown is a junior attending Wayne High School in Huber Heights, a suburb of Dayton. He is the top wide receiver in the class of 2027. Brown has verbally committed to Ohio State University, which is located in Franklin County.
Brown’s mother and attorneys stated that Brown had already missed out on more than $100,000 in potential no-loss trades.
“I was raised by an amazing single mother who always did her best to keep things consistent while helping me achieve my goals on and off the field,” Jimmerie Brown said on Channel X when the lawsuit was filed on October 15. “Like what is allowed in other states, I want to be able to use my name, likeness and likeness to help my family financially and get additional academic assistance after school and soccer training that can help me maximize my potential. The NIL can make that possible for me and many other student-athletes in Ohio.”
Another hearing on the preliminary injunction is scheduled for December 15.
The OHSAA says the proposed new regulation would allow student-athletes to enter into an NIL agreement, and would establish reporting procedures and limitations so students do not jeopardize their eligibility.
“It’s important for people to understand that not being able to work in high school is different than not being able to work in college,” said Luke Vidlam, Brown’s attorney at the Amundsen Davis law firm in Columbus. “There are guardrails put in place to protect the integrity of the sport and competition. In college, we’ve seen pools for NILs to recruit and retain. That doesn’t exist at the high school level. Most states have regulations that don’t allow pools and how they can transfer and maintain eligibility.”
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