New Georgia law legalizing college athlete endorsements

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College athletes in Georgia are now allowed to collect endorsements and sponsorships. And their schools can take a significant cut of that money if they want.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed the state's new bill regulating athletes' name, image and likeness rights on Thursday. Kemp held his signing ceremony at the University of Georgia with a Bulldog backdrop in the athletic department's recruiting lounge. The symbolism was meant to be obvious for a law ostensibly designed to let athletes profit off their own image rights starting on July 1. 

But there's a provision in the law that allows colleges to have significant control over athletes' endorsement money.

The bill that Kemp signed into law allows schools across the state to take up to 75% of an athlete's endorsement income. That cut would be deposited into a pool for all athletes at the school and then redistributed upon athletes' graduation.

How would that provision work? If the University of Georgia decided to implement the provision and take 70% of each athlete's endorsement to redistribute, a player like J.T. Daniels would only make $30,000 on a $100,000 endorsement agreement.

The provision in the bill is restrictive and gives schools the right to have far too much control over an athlete's money. But it's fair to wonder just how many schools across the state will decide to exercise their rights to pool players' money.

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