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Gov. Kemp signs bill that allows student athletes in Georgia to profit off their name, image and likeness

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed HB 617 into law as "a step in the right direction" for student athletes. There are many unknowns, but Georgia joins the movement.

ATHENS, Ga. — Thursday was a big day for student athletes in the state of Georgia. Governor Brian Kemp signed a bill into law that sets up a structure for student athletes to now profit off of their name, image and likeness while maintaining athletic eligibility.

“I believe it sets Georgia on the path to accomplish something that quite honestly should have been done a long time ago,” said Kemp.

Kemp believes this will give institutions in the state of Georgia a greater advantage now with recruiting.

“As an alumnus myself, I’m a little bias, but I believe that this is going to give Coach Kirby Smart every bit of help he needs to bring home a National Championship,” said Kemp.

RELATED: Bill signed allowing pay for college athletes

Georgia is certainly not the first state to sign this bill into law and they won’t be the last.

“Where we’re headed is that you’ll see more and more states do what Georgia’s done today and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a Federal solution at some point down the road,” said University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead.

“I think it will be interesting to see what the NCAA does and also what the conferences do down the road,” said Kemp. “You can’t afford not to be competing with other states just because of the dynamics of the game and the economics of it today.”

This bill goes into effect on July 1, but there are still a lot of unknowns. 

It’s also largely dependent on how the Federal Government and the NCAA address this issue.

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