(KGTV) - Gov. Gavin Newsom signed landmark legislation allowing student athletes to get paid for their name, image and likeness.
In approving the legislation, the governor noted multi-million dollar television deals and highly paid administrators, but no payment for athletes.
"Colleges reap billions from these student athletes' sacrifices and success but, in the same breath, block them from earning a single dollar," Newsom said in a statement. "That’s a bankrupt model – one that puts institutions ahead of the students they are supposed to serve. It needs to be disrupted.”
NCAA rules render student athletes ineligible if they sign with an agent or take endorsement money.
The organization said in a statement that changes are needed, but it should not be a state-by-state approach.
"As more states consider their own specific legislation related to this topic, it is clear that a patchwork of different laws from different states will make unattainable the goal of providing a fair and level playing field for 1,100 campuses and nearly half a million student-athletes nationwide," the NCAA said.
John David Wicker, San Diego State's athletic director, said the legislation could put future Aztecs at a disadvantage.
The law takes effect in 2023.
