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March 29, 2024

How will the new NIL rule impact UNLV student-athletes?

April 6, 2021: UNLV Football Practice

Steve Marcus

UNLV football players practice at Bill “Wildcat” Morris Rebel Park behind the Fertitta Football Complex Tuesday, April 6, 2021.

July 1 marked a new day in college sports, as the NCAA — a bastion of amateurism since its inception — has now begun allowing student-athletes to profit off their fame.

It’s a big step for the NCAA, which has long fought against athletes being able to make money off their name, image and likeness. In the past, if a player was found to be selling autographs or game-used jerseys, it usually resulted a suspension for the player and sanctions against his school. Now, that sort of monetization is completely above-board.

So how does the process work, and how will it affect UNLV’s athletic programs? Let’s take it step-by-step:

UNLV came prepared

Though the new rules went into effect on July 1, they have been in the works for more than a year. UNLV has been preparing for this eventuality since October, when athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois commissioned a committee to get ahead of the coming changes.

The committee was helmed by Eric Nepomuceno, UNLV’s senior associate AD for compliance, and included coaches, recruiting coordinators and members of the student-athlete advisory board. The group laid the groundwork for the mechanics of the name-image-likeness process at UNLV, starting with the creation of The Vegas Effect, a platform that provides athletes with information on how to navigate the new rules.

“We had been anticipating that name, image and likeness changes would be coming,” Reed-Francois said. “We weren’t sure what form that would take, and we recognize that this is an evolution. … Not every student-athlete will want to be in this space, but for those that do, we want to make sure we’re providing them with the education so that they can be successful.”

Athletes are in charge of their brand

While UNLV can educate players on the new moneymaking landscape, the NCAA prohibits schools from soliciting deals or negotiating on the behalf of student-athletes. That means athletes will have to take the initiative to seek out their own moneymaking possibilities.

For players who want to find out what they’re worth, UNLV has partnered with a third-party company, NOCAP, which provides a variety of marketing and brand services, including helping to match players with business opportunities.

“NOCAP is the marketplace for (the student-athletes),” Nepomuceno said. “It’s going to serve as a platform to reinforce education, to provide unique resources that will be tailored to the individual, it will help them with contracts, and then finally that’s where they can either engage in opportunities or, what’s really important for us, disclose opportunities.”

All moneymaking activity must be reported

As Nepomuceno said, student-athletes are required to disclose any outside income to their school. Players can choose to do that directly, or in UNLV’s case, they can use NOCAP as a go-between.

So how can players make money?

There are a variety of moneymaking avenues available to athletes now that were closed off before July 1.

Players can now sell equipment, autographs or other memorabilia. They can make money off sponsored posts on social media. They can star in television commercials. They can be featured on billboard advertisements. They can open a Patreon account. The possibilities are endless.

One stipulation is that players cannot use their school branding in any activity without permission, and UNLV will determine each request on a case-by-case basis. So if you see basketball favorite Marvin Coleman hawking for some local business, he may or may not be wearing his scarlet and gray UNLV uniform.

Students can hire representation

For the longest time, agents have been forbidden to represent college student-athletes. And athletes are still not allowed to work with sports agents under the new NCAA rules (except when exploring the draft). But if a player wants to shop himself for name-image-likeness purposes, they are now free to hire a marketing agent to pursue potential deals.

Moneymaking opportunities forbidden in recruiting

For a lot of college sports fans, their first (and maybe only) question about name-image-likeness is how it will affect the team on the field. And that means recruiting.

To that end, the NCAA has made it crystal clear that potential moneymaking opportunities cannot be used as a recruiting tool, and coaches are not allowed to use them as an enticement during the recruiting process. So when Marcus Arroyo hits the trail to find his next left tackle, he can’t tell the 17-year-old blocker about all the ways that Las Vegas name-image-likeness money could make him rich.

Of course, good luck to the NCAA in enforcing this particular rule.

Boosters on outside

On a related note, official program boosters will not be able to deal directly with student-athletes to offer or procure moneymaking opportunities.

To legislate booster activity, program donors must register with a third-party administrator (in UNLV’s case, NOCAP) to make sure the process stays nice and legal.

“Extra benefit rules still apply,” Reed-Francois said. “That’s why it was important for us to have a third-party administrator to ensure that the letter and spirit of the NCAA rules are followed.”

UNLV players already taking advantage

On July 1, just hours after the rule went into effect, Reed-Francois said several UNLV student-athletes had already inquired about potential name-image-likeness opportunities.

Though no deals have been reported as of yet, it seems only a matter of time before players start making money.

“One of the beauties of living in Las Vegas is that the possibilities are truly endless,” Reed-Francois said. “As creative as our student-athletes can be is how we will see this space utilized. We now have 515 potential entrepreneurs.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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