DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Duke athletics director Kevin White is joining his counterpart at rival North Carolina in expressing concerns about “potential complications” with plans to compensate college athletes.
The school released White’s statement Tuesday about the NCAA’s move toward allowing athletes to profit for use of their names, images and likenesses (NIL) through deals with third parties. White’s concerns include impact on recruiting, risk of “ever-escalating endorsement deals” and reduced resources for lower-profile programs.
White said he and UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham worry about “potential for abuse,” saying: “These are but a few of the questions for which we have no answers.”
Cunningham and UNC associate athletics director Paul Pogge recently sent a memo outlining concerns to a law committee examining whether to craft a standardized athlete-compensation law for states to adopt. More than a dozen national associations in various non-revenue sports signed that memo.
The NCAA and Power Five conference commissioners want Congress to create a federal law ahead of varied state-level versions being proposed so schools operate under the same rules. California and Colorado have laws taking effect in 2023, while Florida’s bill awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature would take effect July 2021.
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