Georgia
Georgia Allows Schools to Directly Pay Athletes for NIL
Whether or not the House settlement is fully approved, Georgia’s colleges and universities can begin paying their athletes for their name, image and likeness immediately.
On Tuesday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed an executive order that prohibits the NCAA or any athletic conference from punishing schools that directly compensate student-athletes for their NIL.
Currently, the NCAA does not allow schools to directly pay their athletes for the rights to their NIL use. However, the organization has agreed to remove the edict as part of a pending settlement that is still working its way toward court approval.
In a joint statement emailed to Sportico, Josh Brooks and J Batt, the respective athletic directors for Georgia and Georgia Tech, expressed their thanks to the governor for signing the order. “In the absence of nationwide name, image and likeness regulation, this executive order helps our institutions with the necessary tools to fully support our student-athletes in their pursuit of NIL opportunities, remain competitive with our peers and secure the long-term success of our athletics programs,” they said in the statement.
Georgia has joined Virginia in explicitly allowing colleges to compensate athletes for their NIL—a concept that is contemplated in the proposed but not-yet-approved settlement between the NCAA and attorneys for athletes to resolve the House, Carter and Hubbard antitrust litigations.
The Georgia law is less transformative than it might have been before the proposed settlement and before the NCAA announced it would no longer enforce amateurism restrictions in the context of NIL. The NCAA took that step during the spring after U.S. District Judge Clifton Corker, in Tennessee and Virginia v. NCAA, issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the NCAA from enforcing rules that preclude college athletes and recruits from negotiating compensation for NIL with collectives and boosters.
As the NCAA moves toward a model where colleges in power conferences can directly pay college athletes for media rights, ticket sales sponsorships and NIL, the Georgia law seems to codify a concept that will soon be in play.
The Georgia law is also consistent with U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken’s concerns about restricting NIL opportunities for college athletes. She stressed in a recent hearing that she would not approve a settlement that takes away NIL opportunities for college athletes. The settlement currently contemplates a distinction between NIL deals that draw from use of athletes’ right of publicity versus those deals that are connected to collectives and boosters and appear to be more in line with pay-for-play. One proposed mechanism to enforce that distinction is the use of fair market value analysis in review of NIL deals. Whether that distinction can be consistently and logically applied is a source of industry debate.
It’s possible Wilken could cite the Georgia law in further deliberations with the attorneys. The parties have until Sept. 26 to send her a revised settlement. Should the settlement collapse or be rejected, the cases would return to the docket.
Kemp’s order comes as the University of Tennessee, an SEC rival of the defending football champion Georgia Bulldogs, announced that it will tack on a “talent fee” onto football tickets next season to help fund its revenue-sharing pool for athletes.
Top 10 overlooked cruise packing items before you sail
Packing for a cruise made easy with 10 overlooked essentials and smart boarding day tips to help you stay organized and stress-free.
It can be hard to find a truly unique experience for your next vacation. That’s where Travel + Leisure comes in.
Back in May, members of the publication’s team created a list in celebration of America’s 250th Fourth of July, highlighting a unique experience in each state “from hidden gems to iconic highlights and editor-approved favorites.”
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Most unique experience in Georgia
The Georgia spot highlighted was the World of Quercus. Here’s what writer Lydia Mansel said about it:
“The 3,800-acre property, dotted with pecan groves and cabins, isn’t your run-of-the-mill retreat. Guests are encouraged to roam the land by golf cart or on foot, visit the biodynamic vegetable garden, fish the Flint River, and connect with the ranch’s horses. Owned by Chiara Visconti di Modrone and her husband Angelos Pervanas, Quercus is a place where relaxation comes in many forms—and you can design your experience to fit your pace and preferences.”
Where is Quercus?
Quercus is in Gay at 208 Caldwell St. It’s about 30 miles east of LaGrange and over 50 miles south of Atlanta.
How much is Quercus per night?
The Sylva, Ember, and Cypress cabins are $2,700 per night. The Naya cabin is $4,500 per night.
Unique experiences in the South
- Alabama: Freedom Monument Sculpture Park
- Florida: Greater Florida Everglades
- Georgia: Quercus
- Kentucky: Kentucky African American Heritage Trail
- Louisiana: New Orleans Museum of Art
- Missouri: Anheuser-Busch Brewery
- Mississippi: Vikin’s Mississippi Delta Explorer
- North Carolina: Good Hot Fish
- South Carolina: Casual Crabbing with Tia
- Tennessee: Blackberry Farm
- Virginia: Chincoteague Island
- West Virginia: New River Gorge National Park
Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.
APPLING COUNTY, Ga. (WCYB) — The co-owner of Yurezz Home Center in Greeneville has been arrested in Georgia, according to a report obtained by News 5.
Earlier this week, News 5 told you about the dealership in Greeneville that abruptly shut down last month.
This has left homeowners with partially built homes and employees without jobs.
It is not yet clear why Richard Altman was taken into custody.
This is a developing story.
Georgia
Georgia Supreme Court upholds convictions of men in deadly shooting during gas station carjacking
Two men found guilty of murdering a man while he was pumping air into his tires at a Georgia gas station will remain in prison, the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled.
Miles Chatezal Collins and Josiah Hughley, Jr. had appealed to the state’s highest court after they were found guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault, violating Georgia’s Street Gang, Terrorism and Prevention Act, and hijacking a motor vehicle, among other charges in 2025.
The men’s charges stem from a shooting on July 10, 2022, at a QuickTrip gas station in Peachtree Corners. According to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, 30-year-old Bradley Lamar Coleman had stopped at the gas station to fill up his tires when Collins, Hughley, and a third man pulled up beside him and tried to steal his Dodge Charger.
When Coleman tried to stop the men, officials say they shot him and fled the scene.
Authorities say the three men were members of the Blood gang and had tried to steal the car to increase their status.
While their first trial ended in a mistrial due to a comment by the prosecution, a jury found Collins, Hughley, and their co-defendant, David Jarrad Booker, guilty of more than a dozen charges in 2025. They were each sentenced to life plus 145 years in prison.
In Collins and Hughley’s appeal to the state Supreme Court, they argued that there was insufficient evidence to support some of the charges and that the judge in the case improperly admitted certain evidence and committed errors in instructing the jurors.
The justices’ rulings disagreed, finding that their attorneys failed to object to the supposed errors and that the two men’s claims were insufficient.
The judges also found that a claim by Hughley that his counsel failed him by not asserting that a statement made to law enforcement should have been suppressed. With those findings, the Supreme Court chose not to overrule the case, letting the convictions and sentences stand.
“We are grateful for this affirmation from the Georgia Supreme Court,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “Thanks to the incredible work of our team of trial and appellate prosecutors, and all of the staff that assisted with defending these convictions, two dangerous criminals will remain in prison.”
Booker’s appeal remains pending.
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