Former Wayne standout pushes back on potential NIL removal bill in Ohio
· Yahoo Sports
Mar. 2—Name, Image and Likeness for high school athletes in Ohio has quickly come under fire and the state's top football prospect and former local standout is pushing back against the movement.
Jamier Brown became the de facto face of the movement to reintroduce NIL bylaws in the state and believes Ohio high school athletes should continue to be able to profit off their personal branding.
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House Bill 661 has recently been introduced into the Ohio House by two Republican lawmakers from southwest Ohio. It is intended to block NIL deals by disqualifying middle or high school athletes from further participation in their scholastic sports, according to the bill.
"People are complaining about it, but there's kids younger than me getting paid from YouTube and all types of stuff like that," Brown told cleveland.com. "It's kind of the same thing, because YouTube is their job. They go to school, yes, but they still have a job — YouTube. They make videos. I still go to school, but also, I work hard to keep the deals that I have."
Brown, a junior, is a five-star recruit and the top player in Ohio, according to Rivals 247, who is committed to Ohio State as part of its 2027 recruiting class.
He was the co-Player of the Year in the Greater Western Ohio Conference in 2025 while at Wayne. He has since transferred to Sunbury Big Walnut, located just north of Columbus, where he will play football next season.
"Mainly they were like, 'You're not getting paid. So why stay in Ohio?'" Brown told cleveland.com. "I was like, 'I don't want to move to a different state just for some money when I'm about to be in college in less than two years.' But that's part of why I really didn't want to leave just to get money. And I kind of just wanted to show everybody in Ohio that you shouldn't have to leave to get something that you want."
NIL language was passed by Ohio High School Athletic Association member schools during an emergency voting period in November 2025 by 40 votes in a 447-121 margin with 247 abstains.
Brown, along with his mother Jasmine, were at the center of a lawsuit filed on Oct. 15, 2025, which alleged income into six figures had been missed on for some high school athletes due to Ohio being not allowing NIL for high school amateur athletes.
He participated in a food giveaway event during the first week after the NIL bylaws were passed.
"NIL is not really just all about money," Brown said to the Dayton Daily News at the event. "Because me and my mom and my team is teaching me a lot about business and that's what I've said in the past that I want to fall back on when I'm done with football is teaching and how to save money the right way. There's just a lot that comes with it and people that don't really understand it and think it's all about the money and that's not the case at all."
There are only five states which currently do not allow high school athletes to enter into NIL agreements.