Georgia Athlete Insights

NIL 101: What Every Georgia Student-Athlete Should Know Before Signing

Name, image, and likeness deals have opened up real money for high school and college athletes — but a good NIL opportunity and a good NIL contract are two different things. Here's what to look at before you sign anything.

Understand What You're Actually Signing

An NIL agreement isn't just a handshake for free gear or a shoutout — it's a binding contract, and it's usually written by the brand's lawyers to protect the brand, not you. Before you sign, make sure you understand exactly what you're being asked to do (posts, appearances, autograph sessions), how long the deal lasts, and what you're giving up in exchange.

Key Clauses to Check

• Exclusivity: Does this deal stop you from working with competing brands? For how long, and in what categories?
• Compensation structure: Flat fee, revenue share, or performance bonuses — and when exactly does payment happen?
• Term and renewal: Does the deal auto-renew? Can you get out of it if the relationship isn't working?
• Morals/conduct clause: What happens to your compensation if you're accused of something, even before it's proven?
• Rights to your likeness: Some contracts try to claim rights to use your name and image indefinitely, even after the deal ends.

Know the Rules That Still Apply to You

Depending on your level of play, your school, conference, or GHSA may still have reporting requirements or restrictions on NIL activity. A deal that looks great on paper can still create an eligibility problem if it isn't disclosed or structured correctly.

The Bottom Line

Before you sign, have someone who isn't getting paid by the brand review the contract. A short conversation before signing is a lot cheaper than trying to get out of a bad deal later.

Your Child Was Arrested or Cited Near a Game or Practice — What to Do in the First 24 Hours

An arrest or citation involving a student-athlete moves on two tracks at once: the criminal process and the school/athletic-association process. What you do in the first day can affect both.

1. Stop Talking — Including to the Team

Athletes and parents often feel pressure to explain themselves to a coach, athletic director, or teammates right away. Don't. Anything said informally can end up repeated to school officials, the association, or even law enforcement. Politely decline to discuss the specifics until you've spoken with an attorney.

2. Understand These Are Separate Processes

A criminal charge and a school or GHSA/GMSAA disciplinary matter are handled by different people, under different rules, on different timelines. Being cleared criminally does not automatically resolve an eligibility or disciplinary question, and vice versa — both need to be managed.

3. Preserve Everything

Save texts, photos, videos, and the names of anyone who witnessed what happened. Memories fade fast, especially for teenagers, and early documentation often matters more than anything gathered later.

4. Watch Your Deadlines

School disciplinary hearings and athletic association eligibility questions often move on short, strict deadlines — sometimes just days. Missing a deadline can forfeit rights you didn't even know you had.

5. Get Counsel Involved Early

The earlier a defense attorney is involved, the more options are usually available — before statements are made, before a plea is discussed, and before eligibility decisions are finalized.

GHSA Transfer Rule: How One Overlooked Form Can Cost a Season

Every year, families move, switch schools, or look for a better fit for their student-athlete — and every year, some of those students end up sitting out a season because the transfer wasn't handled correctly under GHSA's rules.

The "Bona Fide Move" Standard

GHSA's transfer rule generally requires a genuine, documented family relocation to the new school's service area — not just enrollment paperwork. Without it, a transferring student can be classified as a "migrant" and lose varsity eligibility for a full calendar year.

Exceptions Exist, But They Have to Be Proven

Court-ordered custody changes, a parent's military transfer, and a few other circumstances can preserve immediate eligibility — but the burden is on the family and the school to document the exception properly and submit it correctly. An exception that clearly applies can still be denied if it isn't presented the right way.

Hardship Waivers Are a Real Option — With a Deadline

When a rule creates a genuine hardship caused by circumstances outside a family's control, GHSA's Hardship Committee can set the rule aside. But hardship requests generally have to be filed in writing well before the hearing — there usually isn't room to raise it after the season has already started.

What We Recommend

If a transfer is even a possibility, have the paperwork and the underlying facts reviewed before the move happens, not after. It's far easier to structure a transfer correctly from the start than to appeal an eligibility denial after the fact.

5 Red Flags to Look for Before Signing an Endorsement Deal

Not every opportunity that comes with a contract is actually a good deal. Here are five things we look for when reviewing an endorsement or sponsorship agreement for an athlete.

1. Vague compensation terms. If the contract doesn't clearly state how much you're paid, when, and under what conditions, that ambiguity almost always favors whoever wrote the contract — not you.
2. Overly broad exclusivity. Some agreements try to lock up an entire product category, or even an athlete's entire NIL rights, far beyond what the deal is actually paying for.
3. No clear exit. A one-sided termination clause — where the brand can walk away anytime but you're locked in for the full term — is a major imbalance worth negotiating.
4. Perpetual use of your name and image. Watch for language that lets a company keep using your name, photo, or likeness forever, even after the deal ends.
5. No room for legal review. Be cautious of any deal presented as "sign today or the offer disappears." A legitimate opportunity can usually withstand a few days for your attorney to review it.

Why This Matters More for Younger Athletes

Middle and high school athletes and their families are often approached with less formal, less carefully drafted agreements than college athletes see — which can actually mean more risk, not less. A quick review before signing can catch problems while they're still easy to fix.