California Gov. Gavin Newsom put the United States and the NCAA on notice Sept. 30. He signed a “fair pay to fair play” bill that allows college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed in Newsome’s footsteps and proposed a similar bill for Florida. DeSantis will try to use the authority of his office to pass legislation next year to allow Florida’s college athletes to also make money from their name, image and likeness.
“I back proposals to allow college athletes to be paid,” DeSantis said at a news conference. “There are going to be issues that need addressing, but I am confident that those issues can addressed in a way to maintain college athletics as a really special thing but also provide the ability for our student athletes to benefit just like anyone else.”
For so long college players couldn’t be paid under any circumstances and it wasn’t fair to them. You’re using kids’ names to promote the school, gain boosters, the athletes taking pictures and signing autographs and couldn’t see a dime. Especially for the players who got injured during the game; how are they to pay their bills? How are they going to take care of themselves?
In a Tallahassee Democrat article with the headline, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis backs proposals to allow college athletes to be paid,” former FSU football and NFL player Corey Simon said, “If I couldn’t play football, Florida State is not knocking at my door. The nine shoulder surgeries and the two knee surgeries that I had while I was here, that wasn’t Florida State. Florida State wasn’t lying on the table, it was me.”
The NCAA had been persistent on not paying the college athletes, but after Newsom signed a bill and DeSantis proposed similar legislation for Florida, the NCAA gave in and approved a measure that student-athletes can benefit from the use of their names. This a huge step in the right direction because these student-athletes have families to take care of, bills to pay and other issues to handle. It’s sad it took two governors who aren’t part of the intercollegiate athletics to wake up the NCAA.
Student-athletes are in store for brighter days when this bill is officially approved. Hopefully the NCAA doesn’t sabotage this effort, because they’ve been looked at as a corrupt organization that doesn’t care for the wellbeing of student-athletes.
But with this move it puts some light on the NCAA. It still has other issues to deal with, but it is moving in the right direction with this move. Thanks to Governors Newsom and DeSantis, who made clear their support for a fair pay to fair play act in their states.