Dear Parents/Guardians/Student Athletes,
The purpose of this is to make you aware of “Name, Image, and Likeness” (NIL) information. As you may be aware, on December 7, 2022, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) passed a NIL amendment to its bylaws, Article II, Section 3(J), that permits student athletes to receive consideration (both monetary and “in kind”) for the use of their name, image and likeness, and more specifically, the value that they may bring to a particular business, service, activity, etc.
While this amendment provides new opportunities for student athletes, it also places specific prohibitions on the types of NIL engagements they may agree to, and failure to comply with the requirements below could result in forfeiture of their amateur status, and thereby, the ability to compete in interscholastic events on behalf of the Methacton School District. Below is a list of NIL parameters that have been established by the PIAA:
- Student athlete’s acceptance of consideration (both monetary and “in-kind,” which includes, but is not limited to, free or discounted equipment, clothing, or training sessions, etc.) may not be contingent on enrollment in or transfer to a particular PIAA school;
- When engaging in NIL appearances, social media posts, advertisements and the like, student athletes may not wear clothing or items referencing the: PIAA, PIAA District I, Pioneer Athletic Conference, Methacton School District or any district schools, student athlete’s team name, team nickname, team uniforms or related clothing, team or school logos, or terms which the student athlete’s team name is commonly referred to (for example, filming an NIL advertisement while wearing a sweatshirt that says “MHS, Methacton, Warriors”);
- The student athlete may not make NIL promotions or endorsements during team/school activities;
- The student athlete may not wear apparel or display a logo, insignia or identifying mark of an NIL partner during school/team athletic activities unless it is part of the standard school uniform for that sport;
- The student athlete may not engage in any NIL activities involving, displaying, or endorsing the following categories of products and services:
(1) Adult entertainment products and services;
(2) Alcohol products;
(3) Casinos and gambling, including sports betting, the lottery, and betting in connection with video games, on-line games and mobile devices;
(4) Tobacco and electronic smoking products and devices;
(5) Opioids and prescription pharmaceuticals;
(6) Controlled dangerous substances;
(7) Weapons, firearms and ammunition.
- The student athlete must provide a copy of any NIL agreement to their school’s athletic director within seventy-two (72) hours of signing so the terms can be reviewed for compliance.
Methacton School District employees, staff members, coaches, booster clubs, collectives, administrators, alumni and affiliates are prohibited from soliciting, arranging, negotiating, or paying for a student’s (other than their own child’s) NIL engagements, and therefore, in an effort to maintain each one of our student-athletes’ eligibilities, District employees will not be able to counsel student athletes with regard to any NIL opportunities that they may have.