Male basketball players like Elijah Weaver (pictured) will be the first UD student-athletes to benefit from the change in name, image and likeness rules. Photo courtesy of Griffin Quinn, Flyer News.
Peter Burtnett
Sports editor
On Wednesday, in a move seen as a historic breakthrough for college student-athletes, the NCAA opened the door for athletes to enjoy their name, image and likeness starting July 1.
The transition from decision to action was only a day away, and student-athletes across the country have already started to benefit from the change that many have been pushing for decades.
The change has already reached the University of Dayton, as local firm Flyer Faithful LLC announced Thursday that it will compensate UD male basketball players for the endorsements (First reported by David Jablonski and Chris Stewart of Dayton Daily News). Led by former Flyer Brian Roberts, the group has contracted with male basketball athletes to approve rental property near campus. Athletes will use their social media to announce the availability of the property on Brown Street. Flyer Faithful LLC also owns The Fieldhouse, a bar on the same street purchased in August 2020.
While the University of Dayton itself will not be able to compensate student-athletes (detailed breakdown of everything you need to know about ESPN), other local businesses like Flyer Faithful LLC will be sponsoring other athletes soon.
The state of Ohio took matters into its own hands on Monday by passing its own NIL bill, which led to an interview with UD Director of Athletics Neil Sullivan on Tuesday at the UD Arena.
“We are clearly in a time of change in varsity sports and probably a unique change in a generation of the intercollegiate model,” Sullivan said. “Name, image, likeness, the Supreme Court, it all strikes us all at the same time. I was fortunate enough to digest the order yesterday, and we think the university is well positioned to adapt.
“There isn’t a long trail. July 1 is here Thursday. But I think our position, our market size, the relationship we have with our fan base in the business community, we’re going to see it as an opportunity. We are not going to look back. We will see this as a chance to move forward. Our players feel the support of the community here. We look forward to any opportunities that may exist.
Sullivan added that the university is entering an “unknown period” but said it was “well positioned” for the value of UD student-athletes.
In October 2019, Sullivan said the UD would take a back seat in the NIL dispute after California introduced its own bill and enacted it. Now, the clarity provided by the decision changes UD’s position.
“There has been a lot of speculation since 2019, when California did this,” Sullivan said. “Everyone speculated and we just said we were going to watch this. And now we have clarity. So once we have the clarity, it’s time to move …
“My position then and even now is that we are not going to make moves that we are going to regret. We will be aggressive enough once we understand the guidelines, and (Monday) provided that. Until Monday morning it was not clear if there would be an Executive Order, if the bill was going to pass, if the NCAA was going to move on, but once we have clarity, it’s time to go. to go.
“We’ve been preparing for different things for a few years, but we’ve tried not to stray too far from ourselves with all the speculation. “
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