SEC school presidents voted on Monday to introduce standard athlete contracts across the US university sports conference. The decision takes effect immediately. Following the Big Ten, the SEC becomes the second major conference to adopt a common contract model. Its new agreements include sections that schools can customise.
The contracts cover revenue sharing, which means schools paying athletes part of their income, and rights to use athletes' names, images and likenesses, known as NIL. Under the House v. NCAA settlement, each school can share up to $21.6 million directly with athletes this academic year. NIL agreements give schools rights to use an athlete's identity.
The move is another step towards the SEC managing its own affairs, although legal protection against competition-law challenges remains important. Presidents also postponed a vote on bringing back restrictions for athletes moving between SEC schools. Before those restrictions ended in June 2021, athletes transferring within the conference had to miss one season. The postponed vote leaves that separate proposal undecided.
