Pennsylvania Rep. Stambaugh plans NIL legislation

PENNSYLVANIA, USA — On Tuesday June 3, State Representative Perry Stambaugh (R – Perry & Juniata Counties) announced his plans to cosponsor new legislation amid the current NIL landscape. 

“It’s a wild, wild west in college sports,” said Stambaugh on the current state of college athletics. “It’s probably the biggest change in college sports since the NCAA was created 120 years ago.” 

The change was the introduction of NIL, allowing student-athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness. 

As for if Stambaugh backs NIL, “if you’re good at something and somebody wants to compensate you for that, whatever your age is, you should be able to earn whatever money you can make at any point in life.” 

A Penn State alum and big Nittany Lions football fan, Stambaugh supports the idea of NIL, but he also acknowledged that legislation needs to be put in place to protect student-athletes sooner than later. 

“This is something Pennsylvania needs to address, and we need to address it right now,” said Stambaugh. 

The urgency comes as a result of an ongoing federal court case that will set the standard for player compensation within NCAA athletics. 

Stambaugh sees this as a starting point, understanding that this is just the beginning for NIL legislation. 

“Eventually, we’re going to have to bridge this approach and look at other ways to make sure our colleges and universities and our high schools can stay competitive as the NIL and revenue-sharing landscape unfolds,” said Stambaugh. “Pennsylvania’s going to have to put itself in a competitive position so our colleges and universities can stay athletically competitive.”

The legislation Stambaugh and Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper are currently working on focuses on money management. 

In the proposed legislation, colleges would have to offer student-athletes the opportunity to put a portion of their earnings into trusts that would then be accessible upon their graduation or if they left their respective institutions. It would also mandate financial literacy classes for student-athletes. 

“This might be the most significant money they earn in a lifetime, so being able to have that money professionally managed [and] being able to learn the tools on how to live off those earnings just makes sense,” said Stambaugh. 

The bill has yet to be formally introduced, but it is expected to come in the near future, with the bill’s sponsors ensuring athletes are being kept at the forefront. 

Stambaugh is looking to set the standard, saying, “I think it’s a good first step, and every state should actually be adopting this.”