Lakers superstar LeBron James applauds Richard Jefferson’s take on student-athletes and the new NIL Rule introduced by the NCAA
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The NCAA just introduced their new NIL rules. In case you aren’t familiar with this rule, it basically gives student-athletes the right to use their NIL(Name, Image, Likeness) to sign deals with businesses or brands for promotions. Athletes also will be allowed to use their own status as college athletes to promote their own public appearances or companies.
This comes rule comes after years of debates and fights by athletes and players associations fought for it for years. Once this rule was passed by the NCAA, there were quite a few views about the same.
Former Arizona Wildcat and NBA player, Richard Jefferson had quite a lot to say about the same rule. He took his platform on ‘The Jump’ to talk about the same.
LeBron James amplifies Richard Jefferson’s message
Richard Jefferson talked about something really important. He is happy about the new NIL rules, but he talks about the athletes that were disqualified from their status or awards due to the rules. Jefferson’s former teammate LeBron James totally agreed with what he said, and amplified the message.
One such player he talks about is Reggie Bush. Reggie Bush was stripped of his prestigious Heisman trophy because he received ‘gifts’ from his agent and other sources while he was in college.
Richard Jefferson himself had such an incident. He was issued a one-game ban because he was invited by his former roommate Luke Walton’s father Bill Walton to practice with the Suns.
Even though LeBron James has never been to a college, he has always advocated for student-athlete rights. The NIL rules are a huge win in that direction. However, the struggles arent over, and the support of celebrities like LeBron James goes a long way in pressuring and putting the changes on a fast track.
