Barnhart: NCAA programs in first steps of an NIL 'marathon'
UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
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@JDrumUK
Meeting with the media Friday to discuss Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear's executive order that paved the way for the commonwealth's student-athletes to take advantage of name, image, and likeness legislation, UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart indicated that there are more questions than answers at this stage of the discussion.
"I think it's really important, as we walk through this, to understand what yesterday was and what yesterday wasn't," Barnhart said during a Zoom video conference with local and state media. "Yesterday was the first thing. It sort of gave us the ability to step forward with policies and procedures.
"I think the journey is a long one. We're still awaiting NCAA governance next week. They will probably come through with some new language, in some way, shape, or form --- uncertain as to what that is -- but this is a bridge that gets us to January where we can get the legislation firmly in place in the state legislature in January.
"And then the last piece, obviously, is you hope that at some point there will be federal legislation that ties all 50 states together and gives us an opportunity to all sing from one hymnbook."
Barnhart, who has served as Kentucky's AD since 2002, called the sweeping changes for student-athletes "a new paradigm."
The accelerated nature of the new legislation -- recently upheld by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling -- has prompted feverish speculation about how it may impact current student-athletes, the recruitment of future student-athletes, and the general power structure of conferences like the SEC.
"A lot of hypotheticals," said Barnhart, who later added, "We're in the early stages of a marathon."
College athletes can officially begin entertaining NIL deals on July 1, although many have already begun reaching out to prospective partnerships. Several UK football players have announced their interest in potential deals via Twitter since the governor's executive order.
Asked what UK is doing to monitor and assist that process, Barnhart said his department has initiated a "Kentucky Road" initiative to guide student-athletes through the new landscape and offer lifelong branding and financial literacy tools. Additionally, the current compliance department may require an additional branch to help facilitate the process.
"With these new rights come massive responsibilities," Barnhart said. "It's important to marry those things together."
The UK AD expressed concerns about how the changes could impact teams and relationships between players. With that in mind, he had what he described as "candid discussions" with UK head coaches like John Calipari and Mark Stoops.
"I think there are opportunities out there for some folks that will probably be greater than others," Barnhart said. "The challenge will be multiple... The relationship for all of those folks in the locker room will be really, really important to find a way to make sure that you maintain that."
