The Illinois Men’s Basketball program has announced that Kofi Cockburn has been suspended by the NCAA Eligibility Center for three games for violating the association’s NIL rules in June of 2021. Cockburn was ruled ineligible to compete because he sold institutionally issued apparel and memorabilia on The Players Trunk. The memorabilia sales occurred prior to the NCAA’s change in NIL rules on July 1st, 2021, when Cockburn was considering entering the NBA draft.

The decision from the NCAA Eligibility Center shows that the association will continue to strictly enforce its rules relating to players capitalizing on their name, image and likeness. Cockburn is no exception. Since the July 1 rule change, the NCAA has instructed college athletes to follow the appropriate state laws or institutional policies governing them. It remains to be seen how the NCAA will enforce post-July 1 rules. Enforcement of state laws and school policies may come from institutions, but the three-game suspension of Kofi Cockburn indicates that the NCAA Eligibility Center may continue to hand down suspensions for rules violations.

State NIL laws and institutional policies contain dozens of nuanced rules. While some prohibit NIL deals with conflicting sponsors, others prohibit NIL deals with certain types of businesses, including gambling, alcohol and tobacco companies. These rules will be enforced by on-campus and conference compliance staff, but the NCAA Eligibility Center’s suspension of Kofi Cockburn indicates that the NCAA will continue to be involved in regulating NIL activity, and ensuring that it falls within the rules.