SPRINGFIELD — On the same day a bill allowing college student-athletes to profit from the use of their name or likeness passed an Illinois House committee, the governing body that oversees most collegiate athletics took steps Tuesday toward allowing such activity at a national level.

The vote by the NCAA Board of Governors came just hours after state Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, passed his House Bill 3904 through the House Higher Education Appropriations Committee by a 9-6 vote on partisan lines. At the committee, Welch said the efforts of California, which passed a similar bill into law earlier this year, Illinois and at least 10 other states helped put pressure on the NCAA, a membership organization for intercollegiate athletics.

“Until this happened, they weren’t listening. Now they will,” Welch said of the NCAA.

The action by the NCAA, the country’s largest governing body for college athletics, came during a board meeting at Emory University in Atlanta. The organization in a statement said the group realized that it "must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes." 

“Additional flexibility in this area can and must continue to support college sports as a part of higher education. This modernization for the future is a natural extension of the numerous steps NCAA members have taken in recent years to improve support for student-athletes, including full cost of attendance and guaranteed scholarships," said board Chairman Michael V. Drake, who is also president of Ohio State University.

The board directed each of the NCAA’s three divisions to “immediately consider updates to relevant bylaws and policies for the 21st century.” It is not yet clear how or when those changes will be implemented.

Illini head football coach Lovie Smith said he supports the move. 

“I’m in favor for the players getting as much as they possibly can, all of us. It’s America, right? I’m in favor of everybody getting as much as they possibly can," he said. 

The NCAA board’s action was based on recommendations from a state legislation working group, which will continue to gather feedback through April. 

During his committee hearing Tuesday, Welch said his bill is about fairness, equity and leveling the recruiting playing field with California after the passage of its law. If approved, the Illinois bill would become law in 2023, the same year the California law would take effect.

But the Illinois committee’s six Republican members voted against Welch’s bill Tuesday amid opposition from a number of athletic directors from universities across the state.

Those officials included the university athletic directors from Bradley, DePaul, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State, Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Springfield, Loyola, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Southern Illinois at Carbondale and Southern Illinois at Edwardsville.

“We share the sponsors’ interest in supporting the welfare of student-athletes, but we find this bill to be harmful in the short term and, in the end, unnecessary,” the athletic directors said in the letter.

They said the bill “offers no protection from financial exploitation” of student-athletes by sponsors, marketing firms or sports agents.

Asked about the Illinois legislation, Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner Beth DeBauche last week said it’s crucial "we take the time to discuss it and that people understand the implications of the bill." The conference includes Eastern Illinois University. 

"At its premise, intercollegiate athletics is based on a model of amateurism, so at its core, some level of amateurism will need to remain if we want to maintain an intercollegiate athletics model," she said. "That calls for some level of spectrum approach to look at this issue. I think there will be median helpful conversations and we all are hoping to learn more in the process as to what makes sense with today’s technologies and opportunities, mindful that there are things about this model that we cherish and care dearly about.”​

Welch’s bill allows students to hire agents and requires the agents to be registered with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

The athletic directors also said they favor a national approach by the NCAA, which had not been announced by the time their letter was sent. They also encouraged the General Assembly to postpone discussion of the bill until the regular legislative session which begins next year.

Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, state Sen. Elgie Sims Jr., D-Chicago, and Welch issued a joint statement on the decision.

“It’s clear that student-athletes deserve to have rights in a billion-dollar industry they helped build. After advocating for our legislation in Illinois, the NCAA took a welcome — though overdue — step forward to allow students to be compensated for their names and likenesses,” they said in the statement. “We remain committed to being the voice of student-athletes in Illinois and will monitor this decision to ensure it is fully implemented. Today is a victory for student-athletes around the country who are fighting for fairness and equity, and we will continue to fight alongside you.”

Also Tuesday, Welch introduced a companion measure, House Bill 3941, to provide greater regulation of athlete agents and require them to obtain a state license.