U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) has joined Reps. Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16) and Emanuel Cleaver (MO-5) to introduce the bipartisan Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act, which will grant student-athletes the right to capitalize off their own name, image, and likeness. The bill also includes important guardrails to ensure the recruitment process remains fair and that teams will not have to work under a patchwork of state laws. 

The bipartisan bill is also cosponsored by Reps. Rodney Davis (IL-13), Jeff Duncan (SC-3), Colin Allred (TX-32), Marcia Fudge (OH-11), and Steve Stivers (OH-15). 

“To help support the many student-athletes who call North Jersey home, and all those throughout the country, I’m proud to help introduce this bipartisan legislation that creates one national standard and congressional oversight to help student-athletes benefit from their own name, image, and likeness — to help them achieve the American dream,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “Our country loves to support college sports, and the student-athletes and players deserve our full support too.”

The Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act promotes fairness for college athletes by granting student-athletes the right to capitalize off their own name, image, and likeness including through contracts negotiated on their behalf by an agent. 

Furthermore, the bill safeguards the college athletics system as we know it by ensuring that universities cannot directly compensate student-athletes from their name, image, and likeness. 

The bill also protects the recruitment process and preempts existing and prospective state laws on name, image, and likeness that would create an uneven national playing field.

Read the full bill text here and a one-page policy outline here.

###