Legislature Taps NSHE Athletic Leaders to Conduct Name and Likeness Study
Five athletic leaders from Nevada’s public higher education institutions will serve on an interim state legislative committee charged with studying the complexities of college athletes profiting from their name, image, and likeness.
The Nevada Legislature’s Joint Interim Standing Committee on Education on Thursday approved the following Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) athletic leaders be appointed to the Committee to Conduct an Interim Study Concerning the Use of the Name, Image, and Likeness of a Student Athlete:
- Dexter Irvin, Director of Athletics and Recreation, College of Southern Nevada (CSN)
- Devonte Lee, Student, Senior, Football, University of Nevada, Reno (UNR)
- Katelyn Norris, Student, Freshman, Women’s Soccer, Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC)
- Eric Nepomuceno, Senior Associate Athletic Director of Compliance, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)
- Linda Garza, Head Softball Coach, (UNR)
The NSHE athletic leaders, who were nominated by the presidents of their respective institutions, will be joined by Sen. Roberta Lange, District 7; Assemblyman C. H. Miller, District 7; and NSHE Deputy General Counsel Yvonne Nevarez-Goodson. Assemblyman Miller will chair the committee and Sen. Lange will be the vice chair.
“The work of this committee is important and will inform all of us as we navigate the uncharted waters of student athlete compensation,” said Chancellor Melody Rose. “We are proud NSHE’s athletic leaders, including our students, will play such an important role in this groundbreaking legislative committee.”
The committee was created following the passage of AB254 during the 2021 Nevada Legislative session. AB254 prohibits the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), other collegiate athletic organizations, or any colleges from stopping student athletes from being paid for the use of their name, likeness, or image. The NCAA has already moved forward in allowing student-athlete compensation.
