- High school NIL
- Permitted with conditions
- High school authority
- Maine Principals' Association (MPA)
- High school rule
- MPA Handbook, amateur status rules, NIL policy approved spring 2022
- High school effective
- Spring 2022, approved by the MPA membership.
- College NIL
- Permitted
- College law
- Maine Student Athlete NIL Act (2022)
- College effective
- Effective March 31, 2022.
- Paperwork
- Confirm your school's disclosure expectations
- Penalty
- Violations of the amateur status rules cost eligibility under association rules.
Where high school NIL stands in Maine.
Maine allowed high school NIL in spring 2022, when the MPA membership approved a policy at its spring meeting. Athletes may be compensated for their name, image, and likeness as long as the activity is not connected to the school or the association.
The standard conditions apply: no school or association names, logos, or uniforms, no compensation tied to performance, no enrollment inducements, and no involvement by the school or its boosters.
Effective: Spring 2022, approved by the MPA membership.
What a high school athlete can and can't do.
Allowed
- ✓Endorsements, sponsorships, and paid content as an individual
- ✓Appearances, autographs, camps, and merchandise in the athlete's own name
Not allowed
- ×School or association names, logos, or uniforms in NIL content
- ×Compensation tied to athletic performance or offered as an enrollment inducement
- ×Involvement by the school, its staff, or its boosters
The high school checklist.
- →Read the association's NIL provision and your school's policy
- →Keep the school and its marks out of every deal and every piece of content
- →Confirm your school's disclosure expectations
Agents and advisors
The association's rule does not bar NIL representation. Maine regulates athlete agents by statute. MSG works with Maine high school athletes on NIL and brand within the rule.
Penalties
Violations of the amateur status rules cost eligibility under association rules.
College NIL in Maine.
Maine's college NIL law took effect March 31, 2022. It prohibits colleges from preventing athletes from earning NIL compensation, permits compensation from selling autographs, states that athletes are not employees of their institutions based on athletic participation, and bars athletic associations from penalizing Maine institutions for their athletes' compliant NIL activity.
Since July 2025, Maine schools that opted into the House settlement may pay athletes directly within the revenue-sharing cap.
Effective: Effective March 31, 2022.
Maine law: key points
- ✓Institutions may not prevent athletes from earning NIL compensation
- ✓Athletes are not employees based on athletic participation
- ✓Athletic associations may not penalize Maine institutions for compliant athlete NIL activity
- ✓Direct school payments permitted under the House settlement for opted-in schools
National framework (House settlement)
Since July 1, 2025, college NIL runs on two tracks. Third-party deals with brands and businesses remain open, and the House v. NCAA settlement now lets Division I schools that opted in pay athletes directly, capped at roughly $20.5 million per school in the first year and rising annually. State law sits on top of that framework and can add rules, but cannot take the federal settlement terms away.
- →Third-party NIL deals of $600 or more must be reported through the NIL Go clearinghouse, generally within five business days, and are reviewed for fair market value
- →Direct payments from a school count against that school's revenue-sharing cap; third-party deals do not
- →The College Sports Commission handles enforcement tied to settlement rules; the NCAA still governs eligibility
- →Every school also has its own NIL policy on disclosure, prohibited categories, and use of school marks, and it applies alongside state law
- →Federal NIL legislation has been proposed repeatedly and remains unresolved
Major Sports Group
What this means for a Maine athlete.
Maine is a small market, but athletes with a following in Portland or Bangor still have local opportunity, and the MPA rule has been stable since 2022.
MSG keeps Maine deals unaffiliated with the school and structured around deliverables.
Maine NIL FAQ.
Can high school athletes in Maine do NIL deals?
Yes, in spring 2022, when the MPA membership approved a policy at its spring meeting, provided the activity is not connected to the school or the association and uses no school names, logos, or uniforms.
Can a Maine high school athlete wear a school uniform in a sponsored post?
No. School and association names, logos, and uniforms may not be used in NIL content.
Can a Maine high school athlete have an agent?
The association's rule does not restrict NIL representation. Maine regulates athlete agents by statute.
What is Maine's college NIL law?
The Student Athlete NIL Act, effective March 31, 2022. It bars colleges from preventing NIL compensation, lets athletes earn from autographs, states that athletes are not employees, and bars athletic associations from penalizing Maine institutions for compliant NIL activity.
Can the University of Maine pay athletes directly?
Yes, for schools that opted into the House settlement, since July 1, 2025, within the revenue-sharing cap.
- NIL laws by state, Maine Student Athlete NIL Act (Athlete Agent Labs)
- High school NIL rules by state, Maine MPA (On3)
- High school NIL tracker (Business of College Sports, August 2025)
- NIL Rules in 2026: updated guide (Sportsepreneur, June 2026)
Rules change, sometimes mid-season. This page reflects the sources above as of August 2026 and is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the current position of the Maine Principals' Association, your college\u2019s NIL policy, and your school before signing anything.