Can high school athletes in Alabama do NIL deals?

No. Alabama high school athletes cannot do NIL deals. There is no NIL policy at all — the AHSAA's 2025-26 Handbook never uses the words 'NIL' or 'name, image and likeness' anywhere in roughly 340 pages. NIL compensation is barred by the general Amateur Rule (Rule I, Section 8), which defines an amateur as one who does not use athletic skill for gain and makes a student who accepts material or financial inducement from any source ineligible. Alabama's NIL statute was fully repealed in February 2022, and the 2025 bill that would have created a high school NIL right (HB489) died in committee.

Alabama High School NIL Rules (AHSAA)

What's allowed

Nothing. Alabama does not permit NIL compensation for high school athletes.

What's prohibited

Remuneration, directly or indirectly, for playing on athletic teams (Rule I §8(b))
Accepting material or financial inducement from any source (Rule I §8(c))
Cash awards or gift cards for athletic performance or participation (Rule I §8(e))
Recruiting/enrollment inducements (Rule VI §12)

What the document is silent on

Silence is not permission and not prohibition — the governing document simply does not address these. We list them because most summaries wrongly convert silence into "no".

parental consent (no NIL agreement process exists to consent to)
agent representation
NIL disclosure

Parental consent, disclosure & representation

Parental consent required

Not addressed

Disclosure required

No

School marks allowed

No

Agent / representation addressed

Not addressed

State-law status

Alabama's collegiate NIL statute (Act 2021-227) was FULLY REPEALED by HB 76, Feb 3, 2022 — 'Act 2021-227 of the 2021 Regular Session... is repealed.' HB489 (2025), which would have created a HS NIL right with a 7-day notice requirement, died in committee May 14, 2025. HB25 (2024) also failed. No Alabama statute currently conflicts with the AHSAA rule.

Who sets this rule

Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) sets Alabama's high school eligibility rules. High school NIL is governed by private association bylaws — not federal law, and in most states not statute — which is why the answer differs state to state and can change in a single handbook cycle.

Sources

AHSAA 2025-2026 Handbook — Rule I, Section 8 (Amateur Rule) (July 1, 2025)
SECTION 8. AMATEUR RULE. Only amateurs are eligible. An amateur is one who does not use his/her knowledge of athletics or athletic skill for gain.
AHSAA Publications and Forms (July 1, 2025)

Governing text effective July 1, 2025.

Change history

July 19, 2026 — Initial publication from primary-source research pass (adversarially verified; see citations).

Not legal advice. This page documents publicly available rules and is not legal advice. Rules change, and associations do not always announce changes. Confirm anything you rely on with the governing association, your school compliance office, or your own counsel before acting.

Spot an error? Tell us and cite the source — we re-check the primary source before changing anything, and record what changed.