Missouri Latest State to Amend NIL Law

Update: Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed the amendment into law 6/16/22

The Missouri legislature passed an amendment to the name, image, and likeness (NIL), laws similar to the one the Tennessee legislature passed this spring. This amendment comes a year later after the legislature passed the original bill that allows for college athletes to make deals with third parties for their NIL. The amendment was passed by both the House and Senate, and is still waiting for Governor Mike Parson’s signature.

Missouri joins a several states, including Illinois and Mississippi, who have recently amended their NIL laws to keep up with the current NIL landscape. Missouri’s amendment significantly changes the current Missouri NIL landscape, including changes to university involvement and financial guidance programs.

See our state NIL law tracker

Changes to University Involvement

The amendment lifts the previous restrictions on university involvement in NIL agreements. In the original bill, members of the university were not to arrange agreements for student-athletes. Under the amendment, members of the university, including coaches, can help find third-party NIL opportunities for student-athletes to receive compensation.

Under the amendment, members of the university cannot receive compensation for setting up agreements for student-athletes. Coaches and university officials cannot serve as representation to student-athletes and cannot influence the student-athlete’s decisions on pending agreements. Finally, members of the university cannot attend meetings between the student-athlete and the third party, when putting together the NIL agreement.

Required Programming

Like in Illinois, the Missouri legislature added a section on universities providing financial literacy and time management programs for student-athletes. The goal with these programs is to help student-athletes manage their income from their NIL agreements.

The other goal of these programs is to help students perform well academically in their courses. Like in the Illinois statute, the financial literacy program cannot promote or solicit business for a certain financial services provider.

In Illinois, the statute encouraged all universities to create programming for financial literacy, time management, and other life skills. The Missouri legislature took a different approach requiring that state universities who enter commercial agreements for a student-athletes NIL, must provide programming to their student-athletes once a year.

For more information on the language of the bill, please click here and look for “NAME, IMAGE, AND LIKENESS RIGHTS.”

Check out our state NIL law tracker