Ad Disclosure
Mother of Tennessee QB commit suing North Carolina over NIL rules
By Andrew Olson
Published:
A highly touted quarterback pledged to Tennessee is taking legal action against the state of North Carolina over NIL rules.
Faizon Brandon plays for Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. On the 247Sports Composite, Brandon is rated 5-stars, the No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina, No. 2 quarterback and No. 8 prospect overall in the Class of 2026.
It was a big deal when Tennessee landed Brandon’s verbal commitment on Aug. 3. The star quarterback prospect is a prime candidate for an NIL deal while in college. Brandon’s family, though, feels he should be able to cash in while in high school.
Rolanda Brandon, Faizon’s mother, has filed a complaint on behalf of her son in Wake County Superior Court. According to WRAL, the suit names the North Carolina State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction as defendants.
At issue is Senate Bill 452, which included a section about oversight of public school athletics, giving a state board the power to make rules about NIL (as well as eligibility, transfers, academic standing, etc).
WRAL notes that the North Carolina High School Athletic Association approved a policy in 2023 that would have allowed athletes to profit off their NIL, but state lawmakers worked to stop the policy from going into effect. The NCHSAA rules apply to athletes competing at public schools and some parochial schools. Athletes at private schools in North Carolina, meanwhile, can profit from NIL.
“The State Board of Education was asked to create rules allowing public high school athletes to use their NIL — it was not empowered to ban it,” said Mike Ingersoll, one of the lawyers for the Brandon family, per WRAL. “We look forward to correcting the State Board’s error and to help our client benefit from the incredible value and opportunities his hard work and commitment have created for his name, image, and likeness.”
High school athletes in 38 states and the District of Columbia are allowed to profit off NIL.
“The Board’s NIL Prohibition is not just inconsistent with the overwhelming majority of states nationally, but it is inconsistent with NIL policy in North Carolina, itself,” the lawsuit states.
The Brandon family says Faizon was set to make a “substantial amount of money” from an agreement with a prominent national training card company.
The suit is asking for the state board’s NIL policy to be thrown out. It does not seek monetary damages.
States: NY, NJ, CT, AZ, CO, DC, IA, IL, IN, LA, MI, NV, TN, VA, WV
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
