NIL (Name, Image, Likeness)
Also known as: Name, Image, Likeness, Name Image and Likeness
In plain English
NIL is your right to get paid for the use of your name, image, and likeness — unlocked for college athletes by the NCAA in 2021.
Full definition
NIL stands for Name, Image, and Likeness. It refers to a student-athlete's right to earn compensation from commercial use of their identity — sponsorships, social posts, autograph signings, video games, jersey sales, and brand partnerships. Before July 2021, NCAA rules prohibited college athletes from monetizing NIL; the NCAA's interim policy and subsequent state legislation removed that prohibition. NIL deals are now governed by a patchwork of state statutes, NCAA rules, conference policies, school-level guidelines, and (for Division I athletes) NIL Go reporting through Deloitte's clearinghouse for deals of $600 or more. NIL is the umbrella concept under which every endorsement, collective, and brand-partnership contract in college sports now operates.
What it looks like in a contract
Athlete hereby grants Company a non-exclusive, royalty-bearing license to use Athlete's name, image, likeness, voice, signature, biographical information, and athletic performance ("NIL Rights") for the purposes set forth in this Agreement.
Synthesised from common contract patterns. Not lifted from any specific real contract.
How RevU helps
RevU's NIL contract analyzer detects nil (name, image, likeness) provisions automatically — flagging the exact triggering language, scoring athlete-vs-brand friendliness, and surfacing negotiation leverage where it exists. See How RevU protects athlete NIL deals for the full product context.
Check your contract freeRelated terms
Right of Publicity
The right of publicity is your legal control over how anyone else uses your name, image, or likeness for commercial purposes.
Endorsement Clause
An endorsement clause is the part of the contract where you promise to publicly promote a brand in exchange for money.
NIL Go
NIL Go is the NCAA's required clearinghouse — run by Deloitte — that reviews any NIL deal worth $600 or more for D1 athletes.
Disclosure Requirement
A disclosure requirement is the obligation to clearly tell your audience when a post is paid for — usually with #ad or #sponsored.