How will NIL affect UNCP?
Christy Richardson Jones  PEMBROKE  The years-long discussion over whether collegiate athletes should be able to profit off their name, image and likeness, known as NIL, came to an abrupt culmination last week when the NCAA allowed it, effective July 1, after it had been legalized in several states through legislation. The new rules will unquestionably have a major impact at the Division-I level, particularly at Power Five conference schools and in the major sports. But at Division-II institutions like The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, its more unclear how much impact NIL will have on athletes and programs. I think for almost everybody in the country its still TBD, UNCP athletic director Dick Christy said. I think theres still some case studies to come out; I think theres still some general guidance that needs to come out on how itll be handled and how specific situations will be.  While the addition of NIL rights for college athletes may not cause huge changes on the UNCP campus, it could still give Braves athletes the chance to market themselves, albeit on a smaller scale; for full-time students who often cant work a job because of the commitment level it takes to play a college sport, even a small amount earned profiting from their name, image or likeness can make a difference. Right now it hasnt affected anything, because I dont have anything right now, but it does give me the opportunity to get my name out there, get some extra money and support my family and everything like that, said Devin Jones, a redshirt-senior defensive back on the Braves football team. I think thats big for college football. I have a kid, and in my situation, it can help me provide for him.  One way athletes may be able to profit is through their own business ventures; its been limited until now what athletes were allowed to do in that area. Weve got a lot of students that are entrepreneurial; I think there will be opportunities there that they will try and capitalize on, Christy said. But only time will tell exactly how everybodys going to thread the needle with this change; its just so new.  Major endorsements will likely be limited to major universities, but smaller endorsements or sponsorships from local businesses is one possibility that will now be in play for Division II athletes. I think I can find some local companies to sponsor me and endorse me, to get a little extra money on the side, Jones said. And not even just about the money, but just to get my name out there. You never know who will come and want you to be the face of their company. So I just think its a great opportunity. Im working with a couple (possibilities); Im with an agency right now, completely legal for the NCAA and all that type of stuff, I already went through compliance.  Consultation with compliance is something that the UNCP athletic department is recommending to its athletes as they look into potential NIL opportunities. Our team is supposed to communicate to our compliance officer, Christina Chow, and myself if theres anything thats going to go on, Braves football coach Shane Richardson said. Those are really kind of the two steps in who needs to be involved, making sure that were taking the proper steps forward so that we dont get ourselves into a bind. Weve tried to build that in and just make sure everybodys on the same page.  One concern UNCP officials have is that individuals or companies with ill intentions could try to take advantage of college athletes as they seek out these newfound opportunities. I hope that our student-athletes will tread cautiously, Christy said. Theres going to be a number of want-to-be agents and people looking to make a dime off of folks, wanting students to sign their rights away to certain things as a marketing agency, and I just hope our students will wait, let us get more clarification and make sure they dont give away some autonomy to these newly-found rights that they now have back.  Another concern is how much potential NIL opportunities could take athletes attention away from their respective sports. You cant let this become a distraction to a season coming up, Richardson said. By all means, if its open to where its legal, and theres rules behind it to where its opened up for you to have some benefits, then theres nothing we can do to stop that, but also theyve got to remember to keep the main things the main things as well. I certainly hope it doesnt take away from guys staying focused on working hard and trying to practice hard and trying to win games on Saturdays.  With the possibilities being potentially unique to each school, those may now be a part of how recruits assess their options  and coaches know that theyll be asked what those possibilites could be. The top-notch social media and marketing done by the UNCP athletic department could also have added value now. If recruits are focused on that, that could certainly be an issue when it comes to each school in terms of some of those former players, as to how they were able to be compensated or what benefits they were afforded, so Im sure there will be some recruits that are paying attention to that, Richardson said. I think were going to continue to stick by a process of making sure the guys that we recruit fit our program and our philosophy and our style of how we do things here.  While Jones is unaware of any specific deals in place among his teammates, he said a lot of them are trying to get their name out there and see what opportunities could present themselves with NIL compensation now allowed. They made posts on Instagram saying theyre open for business and everything like that, Jones said. So I do think a couple of my teammates will get sponsored and endorsed by companies though.  In addition to the new NIL rules, July 1 also marked UNCPs official entry into Conference Carolinas after three decades as a Peach Belt Conference member; the Braves were previously Conference Carolinas members from 1976-1992. UNCP will compete in Conference Carolinas in 15 of its 16 sports, with football continuing to compete as an associate member of the Mountain East Conference. Were really excited, and weve got about five weeks here to put the finishing touches on a lot of planning and communication and preparation, Christy said. Were making sure all the messaging and signage in our buildings is ready so our athletes will feel that fresh start and theyll be focused immediately on whats the goal and what is our new conference competition like.  Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at [email protected] You can follow him on Twitter at @StilesOnSports.