TSSAA approves new rules for students who violate rules for name, image, and likeness

State Education
Written By Sky Arnold

A high school athlete who violates the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s (TSSAA) amateur rules for receiving money through sponsorships, will now receive a warning instead of a year suspension for the initial violation.That’s among the changes the TSSAA approved to its bylaws this week. The association regulates sports for public and private high schools across the state.TSSAA amateur rules prohibit athletes from receiving pay for play, but a change last year does allow athletes to receive payment for providing instruction and money from sponsors with certain limitations.“The student’s activities for which they are compensated may not include an image or likeness of the student in a uniform, or other clothing or gear depicting the name or logo of the TSSAA member school the student is attending or has attended. No reference to TSSAA accolades or championships may be used in the student’s activities for which they are compensated,” wrote the TSSAA.Previously, athletes who violated TSSAA amateur rules were immediately ineligible for 12 months in the sport that the violation occurred.Under the changes approved Monday:

  • Students will receive a formal warning on the first violation and be required to return any awards or money received in violation of the rule.
  • Students will be ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletics at any level of competition for a period of one (1) year for a second violation.
  • The TSSAA Executive Director will determine any additional penalty and ineligibility for a third violation.

The rule changes follow nationwide moves to allow amateur athletes to receive compensation for their name, image, and likeness.At Monday’s meeting, the TSSAA also approved new rules for teams that win postseason games with ineligible athletes.Under the new rule, the team is removed from the TSSAA tournament or playoff, and no team replaces it. Additionally, the team is required to return any award or money to TSSAA.

Sky Arnold

Sky serves as the Managing Editor of the Tennessee Fireflly. He’s a veteran television journalist with two decades of experience covering news in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Tennessee where he covered government for Fox 17 News in Nashville and WBBJ in Jackson. He’s a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and a big supporter of the Oklahoma Sooners.

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