Westword: Colorado college sports will be at a competitive disadvantage if universities can’t directly pay student-athletes for their name, image and likeness (NIL) this summer, according to lawmakers, but a bill intended to address the issue isn’t without detractors.

State Representative Lesley Smith and senators James Coleman and Judy Amabile are sponsoring House Bill 25-1041, which will repeal a current legal stipulation in Colorado that schools cannot directly enter into NIL contracts with students.

Both CU and Colorado State University have registered in support of the bill. Rick George, athletic director at CU, said the school expects to begin paying athletes in July should the settlement and Colorado law both make it legal to do so by then.

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