Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear officially signs NIL bill into law in Frankfort
History was made today in Frankfort, as Gov. Andy Beshear officially signed Senate Bill 6, allowing student-athletes in Kentucky to profit off of their name, image and likeness moving forward — permanently.
SB 6 — sponsored by Senators Morgan McGarvey (D) and Max Wise (R) — was signed Wednesday at Kentucky State Capitol in front of the commonwealth’s top coaches, including University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari, women’s basketball coach Kyra Elzy and head football coach Mark Stoops.
The bill previously passed in the KY House 89-2 and in the Senate 37-0 before being sent to Beshear’s desk for review. The Governor’s signature this morning then turned the bill into law.
“I will sign Senate Bill 6 into law allowing our great student-athletes to be fairly compensated for the use of their name, image and likeness,” Beshear announced. “Your image and your name are yours, given to you by God and your parents. And today, we recognize each and every one of those individuals.”
On June 24, 2021, Beshear became the first governor in the country to sign an executive order regarding name, image and likeness. The NCAA later announced all student-athletes would be allowed to take advantage of NIL opportunities starting July 1, 2021.
Both steps were seen as stop-gaps until permanent legislation was passed. That came today in Kentucky as SB 6 was officially signed into law.
Coaches and administrators from the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Northern Kentucky, Murray State, Morehead State, Eastern Kentucky and Bellarmine University were all in attendance at the Capitol.
“All I can say is, wow. This was leadership,” John Calipari said. “When you talk about leadership, it’s, ‘There’s a void and I’m willing to step up,’ our Governor with the executive order. Senator Wise and Senator McGarvey, the work they did. … This was nearly unanimous. That’s a word — bipartisan? I didn’t even know it still existed.”
Kentucky women’s basketball star Rhyne Howard was chosen to speak on behalf of all student-athletes in the state regarding SB 6 and the importance of name, image and likeness.
“I want to begin by thanking Governor Beshear and the state legislature for passing this bill to do what’s best for the athletes in Kentucky,” Howard said. “I also want to thank Mr. (Mitch) Barnhart, Dr. (Eli) Capilouto, and (Executive Associate AD) Rachel Baker, amongst others, for guiding us every step of the way and doing everything they can to help us profit and benefit from this. On behalf of all student-athletes, we are very thankful for being able to be compensated for all the work we do. … We are one team and one Kentucky.”
Protection for student-athletes and the universities was important for Calipari, with the bill adding necessary flexibility for players looking to capitalize on NIL opportunities.
“This thing was across the board for student-athletes, but it protected universities. It protected students. You may not know this, you’ve got to look deep. They went and said, ‘If you sign a contract in our state and you go pro, you can get out of that contract.’ They went deep in, ‘How do we protect these young people, but how do we give them the opportunity?’
“The flexibility in this bill? Wow. Things are moving, and they’re moving fast. I believe it’s model legislation that will be looked at now to say, ‘Well, we can do this. There’s protection on both sides.’
Mark Stoops agrees, adding that it’s an opportunity all student-athletes deserve.
“Really just appreciate all of the work, really, with the Governor, all of the Senators, the leadership of our university with Dr. Capilouto and Mitch (Barnhart),” Stoops told KSR. “Coach Cal did an awful lot with it. Everybody that was active, you know? It’s for the players. I think there’s good flexibility in there. The players deserve this opportunity and we’re excited about it. …
“Our players benefit from it, and that’s the big thing. We want our players to be able to capitalize on their name, their image, their likeness. They deserve that. We want them to have every opportunity to be successful on the field, off the field, in the classroom, prosper if they can with their name and image. We’re here to help them.”
Kyra Elzy added that NIL opportunities allow student-athletes to learn about the importance of financial literacy and be compensated for the work they put in at a premiere program like Kentucky.
“Today is a special day,” Elzy told KSR. “So thankful for Governor Beshear and the state legislators for passing this bill to help student-athletes. It’s a priority for our student-athletes to have the best experience college has to offer. …
“(It’s important for) financial literacy, but also for them to be compensated for the work they do. Playing basketball at the flagship program, it is work. They can’t have a second job, so they might as well be paid for their first job.”
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