Tennessee Senate Bill SB1419

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 29; Title 49, Chapter 7; Title 49, Chapter 8 and Title 49, Chapter 9, relative to student athletes.

Summary

SB1419 revises Tennessee law governing intercollegiate athletes’ name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights. The bill would allow student-athletes at four-year public and private institutions in Tennessee to earn compensation for NIL uses at fair market value, while prohibiting compensation that is contingent on athletic performance or enrollment. It also authorizes institutions, certified NIL collectives, and representatives to create NIL funds, media networks, and revenue-sharing arrangements to support athlete compensation and NIL-related programming. The bill adds a detailed framework for NIL administration and support. It requires certified NIL representatives to be licensed and to owe fiduciary duties to the athletes they represent, and it directs the Secretary of State to maintain a public registry of those representatives. Institutions would be required to provide NIL education workshops, mentorship, and annual reporting to the General Assembly, while a new statewide NIL oversight committee would monitor implementation, publish reports, and resolve disputes. The bill also encourages high school NIL education, direct-to-consumer media platforms, merchandise collaborations, broadcast partnerships, and state support for underserved institutions.

Impact

The bill would substantially expand and formalize Tennessee’s statutory NIL framework in Title 49, Chapter 7 by replacing the existing part on student-athlete NIL rights with a broader set of rules, duties, and institutional options. It would affect colleges and universities, NIL collectives, athlete agents or representatives, the Secretary of State, and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The bill also authorizes a new optional “talent fee” of up to 10% on ticket sales to fund NIL activities, requires transparency reporting, and directs state support toward NIL infrastructure and matching funds for institutions with fewer resources.

Sentiment

The bill’s structure suggests a generally supportive posture toward expanding athlete compensation opportunities and institutional NIL participation. Its emphasis on fair market value, revenue sharing, education, and access for smaller or historically underserved institutions indicates an effort to make NIL opportunities more organized and more equitable across schools. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of formal support or opposition from legislators in the available record.

Contention

The most likely points of contention are the bill’s broad institutional role in NIL markets, the creation of a talent fee on ticket sales, and the requirement that institutions share revenues and report annually to the General Assembly. Schools or stakeholders may also question the new oversight committee, the prohibition on state regulatory NIL investigations, and whether the bill’s revenue-sharing and access mandates could impose administrative or financial burdens. Another possible area of debate is the bill’s attempt to extend NIL education and opportunities to high school athletes, which could raise concerns about the appropriate scope of state involvement in amateur athletics.