The family of five-star Ohio State commit
Jamier Brown of
Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio) filed suit against Ohio's high school governing body Wednesday over the state's lack of name, image and likeness policy and opportunities.
Brown's mother, Jasmine, filed the suit to seek a change in the rules that prohibit high school athletes from benefiting financially from NIL deals.
"Each day that OHSAA's prohibition remains in place inflicts irreparable harm to his career development, brand reputation, public exposure, goodwill and constitutional rights," the suit says. "OHSAA's blanket ban not only singles out Ohio's high school student athletes for unequal treatment, but it also unlawfully suppresses their economic liberties, freedom of expression, and restrains competition in the NIL marketplace."
The family of five-star Ohio State commit Jamier Brown has sued the Ohio high school governing body challenging its ban on name, image and likeness. (PHOTO: Megan Allen)
The Ohio High School Athletic Association said in a statement that the lawsuit could result in an emergency referendum vote on a bylaw that would allow student-athletes to profit from NIL.
"We have been following this situation closely and have been preparing for this situation," said Doug Ute, OHSAA Executive Director. "We were hoping this would wait for the referendum voting period in May, but as we told our schools this fall, the vote may have to come sooner than that due to a lawsuit, which would trigger the emergency vote. We are prepared to move forward with our member schools on this issue."
In 2022, OHSAA member schools voted down the OHSAA's first NIL proposal 538 to 254.
The wideout is the top-rated receiver and No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2027. His family alleges the NIL ban has caused him to miss out on more than $100,000 in potential NIL revenue.
"What pushed me was knowing that allowing NIL for high school athletes in Ohio could be a game changer for a lot of kids like me," Brown
told ESPN. "My family is getting by, but being able to use NIL would take some weight off my mom and me by helping cover things like tutoring, training and travel, which help me grow as both a student and a football player."
Forty-one states and the District of Columbia allow for high school athletes to benefit from NIL with certain restrictions. The issue came to the forefront in 2021 when the NCAA implemented its policy on NIL.
