Bill would give UNM, NMSU athletics $2.5M each to fund NIL

Three state senators have filed a bill intended to help level the playing field for New Mexico and New Mexico State in the ever-changing landscape of college athletics.

Senate Bill 268 would give both UNM and NMSU athletic departments $2.5 million to help fund name, image and likeness payments to student athletes. Universities are expected to control funding of NIL starting next year.

Sens. George Muñoz, D-Gallup; Benny Shendo Jr., D-Jemez Pueblo; and Antonio “Moe” Maestas, D-Albuquerque, are sponsoring the bill, which was filed Tuesday amid the 60-day legislative session in Santa Fe. The bill would ultimately be a part of the larger House Bill 2, which would fund the state’s budget.

The language of the bill stipulates NMSU’s $2.5 million is “contingent on New Mexico State University hiring an athletic director with at least five years of name, image and likeness policy experience.” There is no contingency associated with UNM’s funding.

Last month, NMSU President Valerio Ferme fired longtime Athletic Director Mario Moccia and elevated Amber Burdge to acting athletic director, with Ferme noting Burdge would be in that position for at least six months. UNM hired Fernando Lovo as its new AD just two months ago.

NIL is fairly new to college sports, with the NCAA instituting interim rules only in the summer of 2021. A demand of five years of NIL experience is neither practical nor does it seem to be the larger intent of the bill, but rather a hastily worded line to reinforce the intended purpose that this money is to be used in the NIL space.

It’s not uncommon at the Roundhouse for lawmakers to try to send a message with the bills they introduce. Some such bills are intended to be amended, while others are filed with little to no expectation of being ultimately approved.

While none of the sponsors of SB268 specifically addressed the reason the bill states five years of experience, Maestas did make clear what he hopes the bill will accomplish.

“We were not even considered to join the new Pac-12 because of a lack of investment in football,” Maestas said, referring to the mid-September announcement that five schools in the Mountain West conference would be leaving for another conference.

A lack of investment in football has been cited as the reason for the split between the teams that left for the Pac-12 and those that remain in the Mountain West.

The ensuing domino effect led to the Mountain West scrambling to find schools to join so it could maintain its status as a Football Bowl Subdivision-level league.

The lack of funding might also have affected NMSU not being considered for inclusion in the rebuilding Mountain West.

“The reality of college athletics in this country is (FBS) football, and we got to get in the game,” Maestas said. “We have an opportunity with the leadership at New Mexico State and New Mexico to have competitive teams and draw 30,000 fans and get into a bowl game every other year, or whatnot. We can join the rest of this country in this economic development, which will transcend the universities and transcend the state.”

The state’s revenue has surged over the past three-plus years, due largely to a boom in oil production in southeast New Mexico’s Permian Basin.

NMSU declined comment on the bill through spokesman Justin Bannister.

Lovo, who was on his way to Santa Fe to talk with lawmakers when reached by the Journal on Tuesday, said he wasn’t familiar with the specific language of the bill but was optimistic with how many lawmakers have been open to helping.

“I look forward to continuing to meet and work with our legislators to advance UNM Athletics,” Lovo said. “As the front porch of the flagship institution, we take great pride in representing the state and its residents, and I look forward to the work ahead.”