by Brent Addleman
College athletes will be able to use their school names and logos to earn cash under a new law, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The Democratic governor signed Public Act 22-11 into law this week that, beginning July 1, will give student-athletes the right to use their university or college’s name, trademarks, mascots, colors, copyrights, and other insignia to earn profits with the name, likeness, and images, known as NIL, for endorsement contracts.
“Updating this law brings our policies in line with those enacted in the rest of the country, ensuring that student-athletes who choose to attend schools in Connecticut have the same benefit as their contemporaries in other states,” Lamont said in the release. “None of us want to inhibit the ability of our outstanding coaches to recruit talented student-athletes to Connecticut. We appreciate our athletes and our schools, and I am pleased to sign this into law.”
By signing the act, Lamont ushers in an update to a groundbreaking law issued in 2021 that gave student-athletes the ability to earn money off their name. However, under that law, students were not permitted to use anything from their college or university as part of the deals, according to the release.
The University of Connecticut challenged the 2021 act by informing the state the mandates under the act would hinder recruiting students to the school. The university was one of two in the country where student-athletes were prevented from using the schools’ logos.
However, under the updated law, schools will have to approve the use of logos or insignia before a student-athlete can use it, according to the release. Policies are also mandated to be set by schools where students are using the logos in endorsement deals.
State Sen. Derek Slap, D-West Hartford, sponsored the bill and led its passage through the General Assembly, according to the release.
“For far too long, student-athletes have been denied the ability to benefit from use of their name, image, and likeness,” Slap said in the release. “The NCAA makes billions while our student-athletes, most of whom never go on to play professional sports, are left out. Last year’s bill changed that paradigm in Connecticut and I’m pleased we were able to build on that this year – ensuring we remain competitive with other states.”
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Brent Addleman is an Associate Editor and a veteran journalist at The Center Square with more than 25 years of experience. He has served as editor of newspapers in Pennsylvania and Texas, and has also worked at newspapers in Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Kentucky.
Photo “Paige Bueckers” by Ian Bethune. CC BY-SA 4.0.
