Can high school athletes in Tennessee do NIL deals?

Yes, with conditions. Tennessee high school athletes may be paid for activities not related to athletic performance, provided the activity does not suggest endorsement or sponsorship by their school. School uniforms, logos, and any reference to TSSAA accolades or championships are barred from paid activity; booster-club payment and school-associated collectives are barred; coaches may not facilitate deals. Unusually, TSSAA imposes NO restricted business categories ('Not at this time') and explicitly requires NO documentation for TSSAA purposes.

Tennessee High School NIL Rules (TSSAA)

What's allowed

Payment for activities not related to performance, carried out without suggesting school endorsement or sponsorship

What's prohibited

Any image or likeness of the student in a uniform, or clothing or gear depicting the name or logo of the TSSAA member school
Any reference to TSSAA accolades or championships in compensated activity
Payment from a school booster club or support organization
Distribution of money through an NIL collective associated with a school
A coach or school official facilitating, coordinating, promoting, or negotiating an NIL agreement
Recruiting inducements (housing offers tied to enrollment are recruiting violations)
Pay-for-play — only non-performance activities are carved out of the Amateur Rule

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 — 'parent' and 'guardian' do not appear anywhere in the NIL/Amateur Rule text
agent representation

Parental consent, disclosure & representation

Parental consent required

Not addressed

Disclosure required

No

School marks allowed

No

Agent / representation addressed

Not addressed

Disclosure runs to: None. TSSAA's own FAQ: 'Does a school have to document its athletes' NIL activities? A. Not for the purposes of TSSAA.'

State-law status

Tennessee's NIL statutes apply to intercollegiate athletes at four-year institutions and do not reach high school (consistently corroborated but not verified against the primary statute text).

Who sets this rule

Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) sets Tennessee'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

2025-26 TSSAA Handbook, Article II, Section 18 — Amateur Rule (August 11, 2025)
Students may receive payment for activities not related to performance provided that they are carried out in a manner that does not suggest or reasonably suggest the endorsement or sponsorship of the TSSAA member school.
TSSAA Amateur Rule FAQ — no category restrictions (August 11, 2025)
Are there restrictions as to the types of businesses athletes can sign NIL agreements with? A. Not at this time.
TSSAA Name, Image and Likeness page (August 11, 2025)

Governing text effective July 18, 2023.

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.