Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has issued an executive order that will allow the state’s colleges and universities to “facilitate direct payments to student-athletes” for the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). He said that he “needed to do so to allow the state ’ s athletic programs to remain competitive as federal and legal decisions surrounding NIL payments remain pending.” Stitt said an “inconsistent national landscape” has been created surrounding NIL and that could “put Oklahoma’s universities at a competitive disadvantage.” He added that the order prevents “taxpayer dollars from being used on NIL deals.” It allows for the “creation of foundations that will act as clearinghouses for entities to contribute to NIL funds without fear of retaliation or investigation from athletic organizations,” such as the NCAA, NAIA or athletic conferences. Stitt’s order will “automatically expire upon the settlement of the federal NIL litigation or with the enactment of a federal law governing student-athlete payments” ( OKLAHOMAN, 1/9 ).
