The NCAA announced Tuesday that its president and Board of Governors has created a working group that will address recent legislation proposed at the federal and state levels surrounding the name, image and likeness rights of student-athletes. However, the group "will not consider any concepts that could be construed as payment for participation in college sports," according to the NCAA's release.
"While the formation of this group is an important step to confirming what we believe as an association, the group's work will not result in paying students as employees," said Gene Smith, Ohio State athletics director and co-chair of the working group, in a statement. "That structure is contrary to the NCAA's educational mission and will not be a part of this discussion."
The working group will include members from all three divisions of the NCAA with participants ranging from presidents and commissioners to student-athletes themselves. There are 16 working group members from the former categories with three student-athletes -- one from each division -- also set to be named.
The current working group members are as follows, per the NCAA.
- Val Ackerman, commissioner, Big East Conference, co-chair
- Gene Smith, athletics director, The Ohio State University, co-chair
- John J. DeGioia, president, Georgetown University and Board of Governors representative
- Jill Bodensteiner, athletics director, Saint Joseph's University
- Bob Bowlsby, commissioner, Big 12 Conference
- Don Bruce, faculty athletics representative, University of Tennessee
- Rita Cheng, president, Northern Arizona University
- Mary Beth Cooper, president, Springfield College
- Rick George, athletics director, University of Colorado
- Carolayne Henry, senior associate commissioner for governance and legal affairs/senior woman administrator, Mountain West Conference
- Glen Jones, president, Henderson State University
- Scott Larson, deputy director of athletics/compliance, Lubbock Christian
- Jacqie McWilliams, commissioner, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- Jere Morehead, president, University of Georgia
- Daryl Sims, athletics director, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
- Carla Williams, athletics director, University of Virginia
- Division I male student-athlete
- Division I female student-athlete
- Division III student-athlete