Yahoo Sports Colorado joins California, passes bill allowing college athletes to profit off name, likeness
Colorado has officially joined California in allowing college athletes to profit off their own names, image and likeness.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed the bill into law on Friday, according to USA Today, after it was approved unanimously in the Senate and by a 55-9 margin in the House of Representatives. The law is set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023 — the same date that a similar law will go into effect in California. That bill was passed in September.
The bill was one of 35 that Polis signed on Friday, per the report, though they were signed without an audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NCAA initially opposed the bill, calling it “unconstitutional,” however has since changed its stance slightly. In October, the NCAA’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to “immediately consider updates to relevant bylaws and policies” regarding athletes’ name and image rights. It is working on creating a set of rules that could be used nationally, rather than state-by-state.
More than 20 other states, per the report, are currently working on similar legislation, including in New York, Illinois, Nebraska and more. The Florida legislature sent a bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk last week, too. Colorado, however, is just the second state to pass such a bill.
The NCAA, per the report, said this week that its governing board is still set to receive recommendations concerning national rules changes at upcoming meetings next month.
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