Monday was a monumental day in college athletics.
California Governor Gavin Newsom went on HBO and Uninterrupted's "The Shop" to formally sign California's "Fair Pay to Play" act alongside Lakers star LeBron James.
The law will allow college athletes in the state of California to profit off the use of their name, image and likeness, and will make it illegal for universities to revoke a student's scholarship for accepting money. The bill will not pay athletes to play, but it will allow them to sign agents and seek out business deals.
BREAKING NEWS: Exclusive to @UNINTERRUPTED on The Shop, Governor @GavinNewsom signs California’s ‘Fair Pay to Play Act’ (#SB206) giving college athletes the ability to responsibly and fairly be paid for use of their name and likeness in the state of California. #MoreThanAnAthlete pic.twitter.com/3MKfO2bMEM
— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) September 30, 2019
"[Signing the bill] is going to initiate dozens of other states to introduce similar legislation," Newsom said on "The Shop" prior to signing the bill. "And it’s going to change college sports for the better by having now the interests, finally, of the athletes, on par with the interests of the institutions. Now we’re rebalancing that power arrangement."
The bill will go into effect Jan. 1, 2023.
Warriors forward Draymond Green has been a vocal proponent of the bill, and he gave Newsom props after the signing.
Thank you to California Governor @GavinNewsom for his leadership signing the bill protecting college athletes and bringing more equality to the multi billion dollar industry. Cc: @KingJames #MoreThanAnAthlete
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) September 30, 2019
Newsom's bill has faced blowback from both California schools and the NCAA, as it would make it impossible for those schools to follow the NCAA's amateurism rules. The NCAA has called the bill unconstitutional and will challenge it in court.
The NCAA responded with a statement.
NCAA statement on Gov. Newsom signing SB 206: https://t.co/laV4aT1Cpo pic.twitter.com/sCOOYZEkJd
— NCAA (@NCAA) September 30, 2019
The Pac-12 also issued a statement.
Statement from the Pac-12: pic.twitter.com/7ld5QQqfxV
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) September 30, 2019
[RELATED: Draymond supports California bill for NCAA athletes]
The signing of the bill is expected to cause an avalanche of states to pass similar legislation and fundamentally change how amateurism and college athletics are viewed.
Well done, Gov. Newsom.