Lightfoot Sponsors NIL Seminar at National Association for Athletic Compliance Annual Convention

July 29, 2021

Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC sponsored a seminar at the National Association for Athletic Compliance (NAAC) annual convention this week. The session, titled "NIL, An Insider's Look," examined the new name, image and likeness (NIL) laws in collegiate sports and how their respective organizations are navigating them.

Lightfoot partner and sports attorney Brain Kappel introduced the panel of compliance experts, which included:

• Andrew Donovan, VP of College Partnerships, Altius Sports Partners
• Bryan Blair, Deputy Director of Athletics/Chief Operating Officer, Washington State University
• Carly Pariseau, Associate AD, Compliance & Student Support Services, Boston College
• Terry Prentice, Senior Associate AD, Athlete Brand Development & Inclusive Excellence, University of Arkansas

About 130 people attended the seminar, in which the thought leaders discussed the race to start NIL activities, the current issues and what’s next for this new era of student-athlete endorsements. Topics included student-athlete use of institutional IP/content, how athletics departments are allocating human capital and communications internally to support student-athletes, institutional involvement without firm state laws, and more.

Kappel is a member of Lightfoot's NCAA Compliance & Investigations practice group, which represents colleges and universities, coaches, administrators and private companies in a wide variety of matters involving NCAA compliance, campus investigations and related legal issues. He often speaks on collegiate sports matters and enforcement, including a recent podcast appearance on the NCAA's new IARP process.