SC Gov. McMaster argues for transparency in NIL deals between schools, athletes
Gov. Henry McMaster said Thursday he has concerns over a legislation that would keep revenue-sharing contracts between schools and athletes secret.
However, it remains unclear whether he would veto the bill, which passed the first week of session out of the House and has been sent over to the state Senate.
McMaster, while speaking to reporters, said he does not like payments to student athletes through name, image and likeness deals.
“It ought to be public, and it shouldn’t be happening in the first place,” McMaster said. “I think, NIL is ruining college sports.”
But McMaster, a former attorney general who favors transparency and has pushed for transparency in how money is spent on budget earmarks, has concerns about keeping payments secret.
McMaster wants transparency but doesn’t want to compromise the competitiveness of collegiate athletics, spokesman Brandon Charochak said after the governor’s Thursday media availability.
“I don’t think we’ll understand the impact that it’s having on sports unless we know how much money is being paid. I don’t think it ought to be a secret,” McMaster said.
When asked if he would want to know how much a specific athlete is being paid by a university, McMaster said “yes.”
House members last week argued how much is being paid to individual student athletes through revenue sharing agreements needs to kept secret in order for schools such as Clemson and the University of South Carolina to remain competitive.
Schools this year can pay athletes up to $20.5 million from revenue sharing money, which comes from athletic department income such as through television deals or ticket sales.
Lawmakers pushed the legislation as a lawsuit is pending over whether the school had to release the agreement under a Freedom of Information Act request. A judge is delaying holding a hearing on the case pending legislative action.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 5:05 PM.
