Ohio State AD weighs in on recently passed California law

Meeting with the media prior to head coach Ryan Day’s press conference in Columbus on Tuesday, Ohio State AD Gene Smith commented on the state of California’s new bill allowing student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness.

Here are some of Smith’s comments, via Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch:

Smith: "It moves slightly toward pay to play" and it's difficult for "us practitioners" to navigate that.

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) October 1, 2019

Smith: "It's a complex issue…" Smith said one big issue is how any kind of compensation model can be regulated. Smith said progress has been made in providing more for athletes. Points out that he was a proponent for "cost of attendance" stipends that have bridged gap.

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) October 1, 2019

Smith said that if the California law went into effect immediately, he wouldn't schedule teams from that state. Said California was smart to delay its implementation until 2023 so things might get worked out by then.

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) October 1, 2019

Smith: "The NCAA has taken a long time to modernize."

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) October 1, 2019

Officially titled “The Fair Pay to Play Act,” California’s new bill is scheduled to go into effect in 2023. Signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom on LeBron James’ show “The Shop,” the bill is set to allow student-athletes at colleges and universities in the state to negotiate deals with third parties over the commercial use of their names, images and likenesses.

The eighth AD in school history, Smith assumed his post on March 5, 2005. Prior to joining the Buckeyes, he was the AD at Arizona State from 2000-05.

5-0 and ranked No. 4 in the country, the 2019 Buckeyes host No. 25 Michigan State on Saturday (7:30PM ET, ABC).