Pennsylvania high school athletes are now able to make money off of their name, image and likeness.
In a decision Wednesday night, the PIAA approved NIL rules with several rules, including that the athlete cannot represent their school in any deals and it can't be used as a tool to persuade a student to come to a particular school.
Jamal Woodson, a coach and manager now getting into the NIL space, tells the Big K Morning Show, "These kids that work their butts off and they deserve to be in this field where they can start making some money off of their name."
Woodson is working with Lamont Smith who represents athletes like Jerome Bettis and Barry Sanders.
"He's known all across the country, national, so we've teamed up," said Woodson. "We're 50/50 partners in NIL deals and we're going to be doing a lot of good things for college and high school athletes."
It can't be used as a recruiting tool, and the athlete cannot represent their school in any deal.
Among the four no votes, North Allegheny's athletic director Bob Bozzuto, who represents all ADs in the PIAA.
He believes regardless of the rules, NIL will be used for recruiting.
"We have made numerous provisions, changes to the transfer rules and this year we're going to see, it's even going to get dirtier.
Laurel Highlands standout Rodney Gallagher became the first person in the state to send an NIL deal. It's with a paving company in the Uniontown area.
The Pavement Group is a company owned by a graduate of Laurel Highlands.
