U.S. President Donald Trump received local backing for an executive order he signed on Thursday that will help protect student-athletes and college sports in the evolving landscape of Name, Image and Likeness.

Republican State Sen. Scott Martin, of Martic Township, voiced his support for Trump in his effort to create uniformity in NIL. The agreements allow student-athletes to make money by selling rights to use their name, image and likeness.

The deals were prohibited by the NCAA until a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (NCAA v. Alston) reversed the NCAA’s restriction.

“As an author of one of the first NIL laws in the country, it became evident quickly that if all states aren’t playing by the same rules, then state lawmakers would continue to have to play whack-a-mole and react to whatever every other state tries to do to gain an advantage each year,” Martin said in a Thursday press release. “That definitely doesn’t create a level playing field and is not good for the long-term health of college athletics across this country. I’m grateful that President Trump’s Executive Order puts us on the right track to protect college sports, and more importantly, protect our college athletes.”

In a fact sheet published by the White House, Trump’s Executive Order prohibits third-party and pay-for-play payments, requires preservation and, where possible, expansion of opportunities for scholarships. It also directs the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission to take appropriate actions to protect student-athletes’ rights and requires the Secretary of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board to clarify the status of student-athletes in order to preserve non-revenue sports.

Martin  penned a letter to Trump in May, requesting review and consideration of a federal solution to address NIL agreements. He also sponsored Senate Resolution 350, which urged Congress and the NCAA to work collaboratively to ensure NIL policies nationwide have uniformity, fairness, transparency and oversight.

The resolution was passed by the Senate in October. Trump’s Executive Order wore the title of “President Donald J. Trump Saves College Sports.” 

Martin himself was a college athlete, competing in football and wrestling at Millersville University. The Lancaster Catholic graduate, who won a state wrestling championship in 1990, was also a leading proponent for the 2023 decision to add girls wrestling as a PIAA-sponsored sport.