Prep sports: NIL introduced to West Virginia high school athletics

The state board of education approved legislation in July allowing high school and middle school athletes to be paid based upon their name, image and likeness.

The NCAA introduced a model in 2021 that allows college athletes to receive compensation and profit from their brand.

West Virginia is now one of 44 states in the United States that allow high school athletes to do so.

The only state that borders West Virginia that doesn't have any form of legislation for high school NIL is Ohio, according to businessofcollegesports.com.

"I don't understand where we're going in high school athletics," Huntington football coach Billy Seals said. "I've said adamantly that I don't like the transfer portal. I've benefited from the transfer portal, but I don't like it. You put NIL out there with a state that is one of the poorest states in the United States, and we're worried about paying high school athletes. Our priorities are messed up a little bit."

Veteran Martinsburg boys basketball coach Dave Rogers has seen myriad changes in his over four-decade-long career as a coach.

"As a high school coach, I don't think [this] is the right direction," Rogers said. "I don't agree with it. When you're in high school, it ought to be a community situation where you love playing sports for your family, school, community and representing everything that is good about high school and growing up. You're going to get into some problems where you're going to get a lot of dissension and constantly having to monitor.

"I don't think this is a good direction. I understand it's coming down all the way down from college sports, but I don't think it's going to help high school athletics at all."

The policy that is written in the WVSSAC's guidelines reads as follows:

• "Student-athletes are prohibited from making any reference to a member school or the WVSSAC when engaging in NIL activity."
• "Student-athletes may not wear the apparel or display the logo, insignia or identifying mark of an NIL partner during any team activities."
• "No school or anyone employed by a member school, including coaches and administrators, may be involved with a student-athlete's use of their NIL."

The SSAC's NIL policy, according to Executive Director Wayne Ryan, has some differentiation from the NCAA model.

"The college model is pretty much a pay-for-play," Ryan said. "This is an opportunity for young people to receive some benefits for their name and likeness, but it protects the school and their amateur status. That's very important."

Ryan is hopeful protection of athletes is top of mind for stakeholders.

"This new policy actually is in place to protect the student-athlete from doing anything that could compromise their eligibility moving forward," Ryan said. "The policy gives them some guidelines in a day and age involvement of outside entities into athletics. We hope this protects the athlete throughout the process."

Ryan, a former state champion girls basketball coach at Summers County, is aware of possibilities that could linger following the approved policy -- most significantly possible abuse of the NIL rule to influence athletes to transfer.

"The legislative decision to change the transfer rule opened up the landscape for NIL, and my concern is that NIL deals following a transfer could result in undue influence and could jeopardize eligibility," Ryan said. "They could have a negative impact on a team. We do have concerns about that. But, we're hoping, by the fact that the NIL policy absolutely forbids coaches, booster organizations and the school in general to be involved in any way, that policy prevents those type of potential problems."

Seals, who is entering his 17th season at the helm for the Highlanders, questioned the need for West Virginia to get into the world of NIL.

"For a lack of better [words], we're trying to keep up with the 'Jimmys and Joes,'" Seals said. "We can't be other states. We cannot be Georgia in regards to NIL. We can't be these other states that have NIL. We're a small state that financially struggles. I don't know if we're trying to be like other states. I saw an article where [someone] said that this will keep kids in West Virginia. I don't believe that. I'm in a border city next to Kentucky and Ohio.

"I don't see where the benefits are for NIL here. We all have to make adjustments to the way we do things. I'm a little bit old-school. I've been doing this 26 years as a coach. I never thought I'd see the day for paying high school athletes."

Where do you go from here?

Rogers has amassed more than 800 career victories and three state titles as a coach. That resume gives him options if he doesn't like the direction of sports in the Mountain State.

"High school athletics has gotten different, and the good thing is that I'm at the age and end of the line where I can just hang it up at any time," Rogers said. "But, I enjoy what I'm doing. I enjoy the kids. I just don't think this has helped, even with the transfer rule. If that's what high school sports are about, which is winning at all cost, then I think we're still going in the wrong direction. Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to go out on top and be a champion."

Nitro girls basketball coach Pat Jones spent his playing days in Kanawha County competing at Capital, where he helped the Cougars to their first state title in 2000.

Jones can scarcely believe the difference in high school sports compared to when he was playing, he said.

"It's gone crazy, just because you have higher-ups making decisions that aren't smart decisions," Jones said. "Kids are supposed to be student-athletes, go to school, get a good education, go to college, possibly get a free education, then, if you're lucky, go to the pros. But, at least you have a chance at a free education. Nowadays, it's more or less how much money can someone make from doing something. It just doesn't make any sense.

"I'm not saying there aren't athletes out there in this state that are good enough to earn money for their name, image or likeness. I just feel like we've taken away the 'student' part."

Future of coaches' pay

Speculation has also begun about the impact this new policy will have on coaches.

Many if not most coaches already feel underpaid, as some get paid significantly less than their peers in surrounding states.

"It's mind-blowing," Jones said. "Coaches, after taxes, don't even make that much per year. Yet, we take time away from our families. We take time to go pick up these kids to make sure they get to practice. We take the time to make sure these kids are fed either before or after a game or practice. We only make around $2,000 a year [for basketball], but the state Board of Education then votes on giving kids an opportunity to make money.

"It's crumbs to compared to what the athletes may make. It doesn't make sense to me. Why not put the coaches first and give them an opportunity to make more money, since they are spending time away from their families?"

Coaches' pay is determined by the school board in their respective district. 

For example, Jones' salary as the coach at Nitro is $2,980 before taxes. Rogers' salary in Berkeley County, since he's been there more 30 years, is $4,300.