by AJ Nichols

A lawsuit filed against the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) on October 15 concerns name, image, and likeness (NIL) for high school athletes. The lawsuit was led by Wayne High School football player Jamier Brown and his family. Brown is a top prospect in the 2027 class of Ohio State.

“Like what’s allowed in other states, I want to be able to use my name, image, and likeness to help my family financially and extra after school academic help and football training that can help me maximize my potential,” Brown said on X. “NIL can make that possible for me and many other student athletes in Ohio.”

“I think the premise sounds great and we don’t want to restrict anyone from earning a living,” Bellbrook athletic director Charlie O’Dell said. “There are a lot of ways though that can go wrong. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it.”

“Overall it is a great thing, but it would be nice to have guard rails to protect the kids,” O’Dell said.

Ohio is one of the six states that doesn’t allow NIL in high school. The other states include Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, and Wyoming.

“College recruiting will more likely impact the top kids in the state,” O’Dell said. “Because if they are coming from a state with no NIL (Ohio), and you get your first pay day in college, it will have a different effect on kids rather than kids who had NIL in high school and know their way around it.”

“It would be great to have an agent, or somebody that is helping you with contracts and contract law,” O’Dell said. “A lawyer, or an accountant would be very useful. Anytime money gets involved, it can get carried away and become something worse.”

“The whole point of high school sports is to further the education of student athletes as a part of school,” O’Dell said. “The OHSAA can’t stop people from trying to earn a living.”

Currently the NIL is still closed as it was on a board ballot two years ago and did not pass (538 – 254). As of October 23, OHSAA announced voting dates that will determine if NIL will be allowed in Ohio.

“The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors on Thursday set the dates that member high schools will vote on an emergency bylaw referendum on Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). Schools will cast their votes from November 17-21, with the high school principal casting the vote on behalf of the school,” OHSAA communications said.