Governor Pillen & Senator Hansen Partner to Make Nebraska More Competitive on NIL

Today, Governor Jim Pillen partnered with state senator Ben Hansen to introduce legislation aimed at making Nebraska more competitive in the name, image, and likeness (NIL) space.

“I am committed to making sure Nebraska has the tools it needs to win,” said Governor Pillen. “We need to encourage young athletes to move here. I appreciate the collaboration with Trev Alberts, his team at the University of Nebraska Athletic Department, and Senator Hansen to guarantee we are the most competitive and attractive state in this space.”

This legislation empowers our postsecondary institutions to utilize all the tools in their toolbox to attract the best talent. NIL is a billion-dollar industry, changing the landscape of college athletics. It will give postsecondary institutions the ability to work more closely with student-athletes allowing our universities and colleges to protect these young athletes and ensure they are not being misled. This legislation will make sure all participants in NIL are protected, especially the student-athletes.

“I applaud the Governor and University of Nebraska’s Athletic Department on seeing the competitive advantage to update these statues,” said Senator Hansen. “I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to ensure we have all the tools to recruit talent to Nebraska.” 

“I appreciate the work by Senator Hansen and the Governor’s office to propose an update to the Name, Image, and Likeness bill for the State of Nebraska. We applaud any measures that streamline the NIL process and give greater flexibility to student-athletes and athletic departments in our state to efficiently navigate the space. Nebraska Athletics has a long history of supporting enhancements to student-athlete experience and this legislation would be another positive step in that direction.” Trev Alberts, University of Nebraska Athletic Director.