OHSAA Schools Pass NIL Referendum Proposal

ZANESVILLE, OH – As of Monday morning, high school athletes can now earn money in the state of Ohio.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) schools voted in favor of an emergency bylaw referendum on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). 447 were in favor, 121 schools against, 247 schools abstained from the voting.

This new bylaw goes into effect immediately, per the OHSAA, making Ohio the 45th state to approve NIL at the high school level.

The voting and subsequent voting comes after a temporary restraining order from a Franklin County judge in response to a lawsuit by Ohio State football commit Jamier Brown back in October.

“We would like to thank our member schools for taking ownership of this NIL bylaw proposal” says Doug Ute, OHSAA Executive Director. “Now the real work begins, because this will be a continually evolving piece of high school athletics.”

Ute adds that the OHSAA will track all NIL deals to ensue that recruiting and transfer bylaws are enforced.