Ross Bjork discusses what's needed for a solution with issues surrounding NIL

Many decision-makers in the college athletics landscape support NIL, more than happy with allowing student-athletes to capitalize financially during their careers. But many are also searching for a more uniform set of regulations and rules surrounding the policy. Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork is one of those decision-makers, and he spoke with ESPN’s Paul Finebaum at SEC spring meetings about what changes need to be made surrounding name, image, and likeness.

“Unfortunately, in the absence of the NCAA having guidance really, they have some guidance over NIL, but really a couple years ago a lot of that got pulled back fearful of lawsuits,” Bjork said. “California was the first NIL state law to be introduced, well that caused every state to say well what about our states? What about our universities? And the state-by-state race has now taken off.”

Each state has been tasked with providing and enforcing its own billing and legislation of NIL rules to the universities in their jurisdiction, as athletic departments have had to work hand in hand with state officials to capitalize on NIL policies the best they can.

“To me that’s not sustainable, but it’s the only option right now. Because we don’t have a federal option, we don’t really have national governing body standards that can really dictate a lot of this and regulate a lot of this, so that’s been our only option,” Bjork explained. “So I think the universities have taken the approach of how do we stay competitive, how do we work within our states, it’s allowed to have a state law so we kind of have to work within that system right now.”

Inconsistencies in NIL policy on a state-to-state basis has been and can continue to be problematic, leaving room for certain states and universities to have advantages over others in the new NIL landscape that’s become critical in recruiting. And according to Bjrok and his sources, the only solution to that problem can be found at the congressional level of the U.S. government.

“Eventually, we need national uniform standards that everybody can say this is what college athletics is all about, whatever that model is. We need those standards, that has to be congress. I’ve asked the question numerous times of all kind of experts, who can make that decision? And everybody points to our congressional body, and so that can come with a lot of attachments that may not necessarily like per say. But it’s what you do when you get in that political environment is you have to compromise, you have to find solutions, and right now we’re in that environment both statewide and also nationally,” Bjork said.