NCAA President Charlie Baker. Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Change coming to NCAA after president pauses 'NIL-related enforcement'

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 3/1/24

Radical change is coming to the NCAA when it pertains to name, image and likeness rules for schools and players. For now, at least.

On Friday, the NCAA announced the pausing of "NIL-related enforcement" in a statement from President Charlie Baker. The move comes roughly a month after attorneys general from Tennessee and Virginia filed an antitrust lawsuit against the organization on Jan. 31, challenging the ban on compensation for NILs for recruiting purposes.

"In response to this latest order, the Division I Board of Directors directed NCAA enforcement staff to pause and not begin investigations involving third-party participation in NIL-related activities," the statement read. "There will be no penalty for conduct that occurs consistent with the injunction while the injunction is in place."

Here's the memo from NCAA president Charlie Baker, sent to member schools today.

NCAA enforcement has been instructed to pause investigations involving third-party participation in NIL-related activities & no penalty for conduct that occurs while the injunction is in place: pic.twitter.com/q90AYi6aZP
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 1, 2024

Several restrictions remain, including paying for specific athletic performances and direct institutional payment for NIL.

On Feb. 23, a Tennessee judge granted a preliminary injunction all but stripping restrictions in NIL deals until the matter went to trial. The decision isn't likely to change in court. So, naturally, the NCAA would like to avoid that at all costs, which may be part of why it decided to pause limitations on Friday.

Baker called the pause on NIL enforcement the "only practical response" at the moment. Nevertheless, he added that because of the sensitive nature and complexity of the situation, NCAA policies shouldn't change in a courtroom but in a Division I meeting room.

"The DI Board, NIL working group and NCAA staff are fully aware of the need to bring about clarity for the role of institutions as soon as possible," Baker's statement read. "In fact, the council introduced a proposal in January intended to clarify the role of schools in NIL matters. That proposal will be on the council and board agendas this April."

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