Chambana Sun

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign athletic director Josh Whitman said the new law that lets college athletes profit from their name and likeness "allows us to begin to usher in a new era of college athletics in all states.”

 Whitman went on to celebrate the legislation Gov. J.B. Pritzker officially signed into law in late June as “the most dramatic, meaningful change to come to the collegiate model since the adoption of athletic scholarships back in the early 1950s.”

Co-sponsored by state Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Champaign), SB 2338 creates the Student-Athlete Endorsement Rights Act that “sets forth provisions concerning the conditions in which a student-athlete may and may not earn compensation for the use of the student-athlete's name, image, likeness, or voice while enrolled at a postsecondary education institution.”

The measure further stipulates “that no institution, athletic association, conference, or other group or organization with authority over intercollegiate athletic programs shall uphold any contract, rule, or regulation that prevents a student-athlete from earning compensation as result of the use the student-athlete's name, image, likeness, or voice.”

The bill became effective on July 1.

“I'm so grateful that we are in a state here in the state of Illinois that continues to be at the forefront, continues to establish itself as a leader in the modernization of college athletics the evolution of college sports,” Whitman said.