Earlier this month, the Oklahoma State Cowboys announced plans to wear helmets that featured a QR code linked to the program’s general NIL fund. It was quite a creative idea, but the NCAA did not permit the team to wear those helmets.
The team believed that the helmet decal should be permitted by the NCAA bylaws which allow the teams to put institutional decals on their helmets. But according to a release from Oklahoma State, the NCAA determined that the the decals are “advertising and/or commercial marks,” which are not permitted under NCAA rules.
“We disagree with the interpretation of the rule but will abide by it and work with the appropriate groups to lead on the needed change,” Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg said in a statement. “Our people came up with an innovative concept to raise NIL value of our student-athletes, but ultimately, it just serves as the latest example of how college sports are evolving at a faster pace than the rulebook.”
While the team was not permitted to wear the QR code on their helmet during the game, the team did feature the code throughout the stadium including on players’ equipment bags, drink coasters in premium areas, signage around the stadium, and the videoboard.
[ESPN]
