Monday was a monumental movement for college athletics in the state of South Carolina, as Gov. Henry McMaster ceremonially signed the name, image and likeness bill into law at the WestZone at Memorial Stadium in Clemson.

The law will go into effect on July 1, 2022.

McMaster joined Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich, as well as several senators, representatives, athletic administrators from around the state and Clemson football players at the signing. The bill was passed by legislators last month and signed by Gov. McMaster, officially, on May 6.

“The bill that was passed here is very pro student-athlete which is important,” Radakovich said. “It gives an educational component to it. It gives the opportunity for the student-athlete to take their name, image and likeness and monetize it in a real positive way.”

Radakovich said it was important for South Carolina to pass its own bill even if the NCAA or the federal government decided to do something in the next few weeks. It is not likely the federal government will have time to pass a universal law by July 1, when states such as Alabama’s, Florida’s, Mississippi’s, Georgia’s and New Mexico’s NIL laws begin.

“As we wait for what happens from the NCAA or the federal government, we really need to make sure we had our own bill that would help our student athletes,” Radakovich said. “That is really what was done here, and we are just excited about being one of the eighteen or nineteen states right now that enacted one of these bills.

“I think it is really going to boil down to what happens over the next two weeks. Will the NCAA open up the opportunity for the 32 states that have not done this to keep an even playing field across the country. I think that is what we really have to look to see what is going to happen next. But this helpful for us.”

According to Radakovich, student athletes in general know the concept of the NIL, but they might not know all the details and that is really where the education piece comes in from the universities.

“There are going to be student-athletes that are really well versed in it, who have the ability to monetize right away,” he said. “Then there will be others that will take their steps and take their time and see what it will be able to do for them.

“Then there will be some student-athletes that will say, ‘That is not what I am here for. I am here to get an education and compete athletically and name, image and likeness is not high on my list.’”

—photo courtesy of Clemson Athletics Communications

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