NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball fans may have yet another positive sign that the franchise may be coming back soon, as the NCAA has launched a new committee designed to look in to whether they will allow student-athletes to profit off of their own image.

New NCAA Working Group

NCAA President and Board of Governors appoints working group to examine issues highlighted in recently proposed federal and state legislation related to student-athlete name, image and likeness: https://t.co/ZRHG4OoaXl

— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) May 14, 2019

Today the NCAA announced that they have created a “working group” called the The NCAA Board of Governors Federal and State Legislation Working Group to look at the recent legislation that has been proposed at the state and federal levels with regards to student-athletes being able to profit off of their name and likeness.

Back in March, we told you about U.S. House Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) and his proposal to amend the tax code to allow student-athletes to make money off of their likeness. That bill will most likely be one of the issues debated by this group, and this committee will look to bring “diverse opinions” on the issue, and “will examine the NCAA’s position on name, image and likeness benefits and potentially propose rule modifications tethered to education,” said Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman. Ackerman will be a member of the group, along with several other influential college officials, including Ohio State AD Gene Smith, Georgetown University President John J. DeGiola, and Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby.

In a press release today announcing the creating of the group, the NCAA made very clear though that they will not consider any proposal that would pay college athletes for participating in collegiate sports. “The NCAA’s mission to provide opportunity for students to compete against other students prohibits any contemplation of pay-for-play.”

What Does This Mean For NCAA Football?

The work of this group could have major implications on the future of a potential NCAA Football or NCAA Basketball re-launch. If the group does in fact recommend allowing student-athletes to make money off of their likeness, that may mean the NCAA amends its rules and opens the doors for student-athletes to make money. It would also allow game publishers to put college players’ names and likenesses in future titles. However, it would also mean that these players would have to be given some sort of compensation in order to add their likenesses to games.

That could become quite a pricey venture, as publishers would have to negotiate with players themselves since there is no player association in the NCAA. When you take into account that there are 129 FBS football teams, and those teams typically have more than 80 players on scholarships, that could mean a lot of cash that developers would have to shell out to get complete rosters.

Still, this news is still very good for fans of NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball. With the creation a working group by the NCAA to see if it should amend its rules with regards to student-athletes and allowing them to profit off of their likeness, a future where Justin Herbert or Trevor Lawrence become the next cover athlete for NCAA Football may be within reach.

NOTE: This article has been updated to correct information regarding the amount of scholarships NCAA Division I schools typically use.

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