Indiana High School Athletic Association commissioner Paul Neidig posted a message through the IHSAA’s social media channels on Monday that caught my attention.
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Neidig addressed the “Personal Branding Activity” bylaw that was approved at the IHSAA board of directors meeting by a 13-5 vote two weeks ago. The 529-word letter begins with the statement, “It’s different here,” which refers to the passion for high school sports in Indiana – and Neidig’s belief that education-based athletics needs to retain some separation “from other levels of amateur sports.”
Neidig touched on PBA bylaw to create a distinction between the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) model in college athletics.
A Letter from the Commissioner
— IHSAA (@IHSAA1) May 18, 2026
“It’s different here.”
That’s been a theme of our Association over the course of the 2025-26 school year. As Commissioner, I believe it resonates with the passion and support our communities show for local high school sports. As a Hoosier, I… pic.twitter.com/cGMpJVN1cV
“As much as we wish it weren’t the case, the high school landscape is constantly reshaped by developments in college sports,” Neidig wrote. “More accurately, it’s reshaped by the expectations of parents who believe their children will one day be navigating the structure of high Division I sports. As such, it makes it nearly impossible to talk about the introduction of PBA without comparing it to what exists in college. After all, that system—and the expectations it has created—is the driving force behind why the PBA rule is even needed.”
The next part of Neidig’s letter, I think, gets at the crux of his need to write the letter in the first place. The letters “NIL” can be scary considering the changes that have come to college sports in recent years. Do we really want those three letters in high school sports? Do they belong on high school sports?
And I would say “no” if solely based on the college model. I don’t think high school athletics should be about going out and buying talent. I think most people agree. But I think in these last few weeks, even though nearly every other state has passed its own NIL rule for high school athletics, there is an uneasiness from many out there about NIL.
Even if those three letters are PBA, not NIL. Neidig’s main point, in my estimation, is that PBA does not – and should not – change high school sports in Indiana. This is not a philosophical shift, just a readjustment to align with the current landscape of high school sports across the country.
“I want to be crystal clear: while this is a new bylaw, and as such a technical ‘change’ to IHSAA rules, PBA is not a change to high school athletics in Indiana,” he wrote. “It does not indicate a change in the mission of education-based athletics. In fact, my sincere hope is that in creating proactive, thoughtful guidelines around PBA, the IHSAA can keep education in front of Hoosier high school sports.”
Neidig goes on to write about education on the playing field and important things like teamwork, grit and character developed through high school sports over scores and records and “draws communities to the stands on Friday nights.”
“It’s education that makes it different here,” Neidig concludes. “I promise you this: we’ll do everything we can to keep it that way. To being different.”
Interesting times.
Elsewhere …
>>>Mooresville hired Nate Bingham has its new boys basketball coach. This is the first head coaching job for Bingham, a 2009 Mooresville graduate who worked as a manager and graduate assistant at Indiana State before working as an assistant at Ben Davis, Mt. Vernon, Plainfield and Mooresville.
“Being the head coach at Mooresville High School has been a goal of mine since I was 20 years old,” Bingham said. “Ever since I decided to get into teaching and coaching, I’ve wanted to come back home and make a difference in the same community that shaped me.”
The Mooresville job opened when Gavin Groninger left to coach at Plainfield, his alma mater. Groninger was 22-27 in two seasons at Mooresville, where Bingham was on his staff.
>>>Fran Chomel, the longtime radio voice of Connersville athletics, died on May 13 at age 96. Chomel started his radio broadcasting career at WCNB radio in Connersville in 1952 and became the sports announcer for the basketball and football teams in the 1960s and ‘70s. He counted announcing the 1972 Connersville state championship at Assembly Hall as one of his career highlights.
Chomel, who worked as a police dispatcher for the City of Connersville from 1978 to 1996, returned to call games on the radio in the 1990s and 2000s after taking a break from high school sports, then served as the Voice of the Spartans on Connersville TV3 from 2009 to 2021. His commitment to Connersville athletics extended more than 50 years.
“Generations of athletes and listeners grew up hearing his voice calling the games will always remember him as ‘The Voice of Spartan Sports,’” his obituary read.
>>>Lawrence Central defensive back Errol Kerns III will take an official visit to Indiana from June 19-21. Kerns, who committed to Miami (Ohio) prior to a recruiting surge over the past few weeks, has also locked in an official visit for Texas A&M from May 28-30 and Michigan from June 12-14. Since his commitment to the Redhawks on April 24, he has been offered by Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Northwestern, Purdue, Texas A&M and Wisconsin.
>>>Lawrence North running back Izayveon Moore will take an official visit to Purdue from May 29-31. Moore was offered by Purdue earlier this month, just three days after committing to Miami of Ohio. The Boilermakers are the only Power Four offer for Moore, who has three 1,000-yard rushing seasons in high school.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA commissioner addresses new PBA bylaw in letter not a change