NCHSAA head: No NIL deals for high schoolers

Because of a new state school board policy, talented high school student-athletes in North Carolina will have to wait till they reach the collegiate level before they can profit from deals using their name, image or likeness.

That’s according to Que Tucker, commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, who was the guest speaker at the 9th annual Northeastern North Carolina High School Football Media Day, presented Friday by Elizabeth City State University’s WRVS FM 89.9 campus radio station.

Nearly 15 teams from the Northeastern Coastal 2A/3A and Four Rivers 1A conferences attended the two-hour event at ECSU’s K.E. White Graduate Center.

Tucker, who was addressing the teams via videoconference, said that earlier this summer the North Carolina State Board of Education ruled that there will be no policy that allows student-athletes to engage in NIL deals.

“Just a few weeks ago, the state Board of Education basically said there will be no NIL policy, that student-athletes cannot sign NIL deals,” she said. “That’s really where we are, as it relates to our staff, our board or directors.”

Tucker said the NCHSAA has to accept rulings handed down by the state education board.

The only advice the association can give student-athletes is to tell them that under current state policy they are considered amateur athletes, she said.

“The state has an amateur athlete policy,” said Tucker, who was responding to a reporter’s question.

The teams participating in Friday’s media day included Camden County, Currituck County, Northeastern, Manteo, Pasquotank County and John A. Holmes from the Northeastern Coastal Conference. Representing the Four Rivers Conference were 1A schools Perquimans County, Martin County and Washington County.

Tucker also discussed the timeline for an eventual realignment of athletic conferences.

She said the association’s conference realignment committee cannot begin working till the state board submits enrollment numbers for all 443 schools that make up the association’s membership. Those numbers won’t be submitted till at least a month after the new school year begins in August, she said.

Schools are grouped into athletic conferences primarily by their student enrollment numbers. Tucker said it may be December before there’s a draft of the new conference alignment. The NCHSAA hopes to have the realignment plans finalized by March 2025, she said.

Tucker opened her comments by reviewing student-athlete eligibility guidelines for the coming season. She said that the association is required to adhere to all scholastic eligibility requirements set by the state board of education.

“But the bottom line is you still need to pass,” she said. “When your coaches and your (guidance) counselors start looking at your transcript, they will be looking to see, did you pass 70 percent of the classes you took last semester? That’s one piece of that.”

Another factor that will be considered is whether a student-athlete satisfied the school’s attendance requirement for the previous semester, she said.

The third factor coaches and school counselors will look at is whether a student-athlete has remained on track to graduate, Tucker said.

The high school football season officially begins Wednesday and area teams are scheduled to play their first games on Friday, Aug. 23. Tucker concluded her comments by offering the players some words of encouragement and motivation.

“Dream big,” she said. “Whether you dream to play in college, whether you dream to play professionally or you simply are dreaming of being the best player that you can be, set your goals, work hard to reach those goals, believe in yourself and believe in your ability to be the best that you can be.”

Tucker reminded the players that as the new season approaches, every team across the state “starts at the same place: undefeated.”