ACC Commissioner John Swofford weighs in on Fair Pay to Play Act

By Jeff Gravley

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the Fair Pay to Play Act that would take hold in 2023. It would allow athletes who attend California colleges to receive financial benefits from the use of their name, image and likeness. In simpler terms, they could be paid for endorsements; whether it's doing commercials, the sale of jerseys, hosting camps or autograph sessions.

Many agree in the billion dollar business of college athletics that the athletes should be able to get a bigger cut of the financial pie. Other states, including North Carolina have put forth bills that would allow the same benefit.

ACC Commissioner John Swofford expressed his concerns and challenges of this idea. "This is a complicated issue that needs to be addressed holistically, and not state by state," he said in a statement. "Several recent changes approved by schools and conferences have led to additional benefits, which is necessary as we continue to be progressive in modernizing and enhancing the benefits provided to every student-athlete, while staying within the principles of amateurism. Our country is unique in annually providing hundreds of thousands of students the opportunity to combine higher education with athletics. We will continue to have discussions about this issue and the impact it will have on our membership.”

In May, the NCAA formed a committee to study the impact and effects of allowing athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness. “This group will bring together diverse opinions from the membership — from presidents and commissioners to student-athletes — that will examine the NCAA’s position on name, image and likeness benefits and potentially propose rule modifications tethered to education,” said Val Ackerman, commissioner of the Big East and working group co-chair. “We believe the time is right for these discussions and look forward to a thorough assessment of the many complexities involved in this area.”

But there can't be a handful of states that operate under a different set of rules in regards to their athletes receiving extra money. That takes the word "fair" out of the very law that has accelerated these discussions.