NC high school athlete sues state Board of Education over likeness rules

GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — A young man considered one of the top high school athletes in the country is suing North Carolina education officials over restrictions on endorsements for high school athletes.

A lawsuit filed by Rolanda Brandon on Friday takes aim at the North Carolina State Board of Education and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction over their decision to ban high school athletes from participating in NIL deals.

While the teenager is not named directly in the suit because he is a minor, Rolanda Brandon identified herself as the mother of a Guilford County-based top high school athlete who is committed to University of Tennessee after graduation.

This is likely Grimsley High School’s Faizon Brandon , who announced he was committing to Tennessee a few weeks ago. 247 Sports ranked Brandon as a top high school athlete in the class of 2026, and the lawsuit states he intends to graduate in December 2025.

For now, he’s starting his junior year with hopes that the Whirlies will snag a state championship.

The lawsuit

The suit, filed by his mother, seeks an injunction against the rules surrounding NIL deals laid out by the NCSBOE and the NCDPI.

“On June 6, 2024, the North Carolina State Board of Education voted to adopt policy ATHL-008, which prohibits all students at public school units in North Carolina from entering agreements for the use of their names, images, and likenesses in exchange for compensation,” the suit states, with the ruling going into effect on July 1.

However, a company made him an endorsement offer on April 24, which he stands to lose due to this ruling.

The lawsuit argues that the BOE overstepped in enacting a ban of NIL deals for high school athletes.

“ Senate Bill 452 directed the State Board of Education to regulate athletes’ ‘use’ of their
names, images, and likenesses; it did not grant the State Board of Education unfettered discretion to adopt any rule it wished, and certainly not a rule that would prohibit outright North Carolina public high school athletes from licensing the use of their NIL for commercial purposes,” the document states.

The complaint goes on to state that this ruling harms Brandon because it impacts offered sponsorships, with one sponsor saying that it may rescind its offer if the player cannot make the deal, according to an affidavit also filed with the complaint.

WHEREFORE, Plaintiff Rolanda Brandon, on behalf of F.B., a minor, prays that the Court:

1. Enter an Order granting Plaintiff, on behalf of F.B., a minor, a preliminary injunction, pursuant to North Carolina Rule of Civil Procedure 65, enjoining the enactment, effectiveness, and enforcement of State Board of Education policy ATHL-008, 16 NCAC 06E. 0208; and
2. Provide such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper.

This comes after a top-ranked high school athlete transferred from a public school in Reidsville to Providence Day School , which would not be beholden to the NCSBOE’s ruling as a private institution.

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