The rule
High school sports in Maine are governed by the Maine Principals' Association (MPA). The rule is Appendix DD, Name, Image, and Likeness Policy, adopted April 28, 2022, in the 2026-2027 MPA Handbook (file dated August 4, 2026); the text matches the 2025-2026 handbook. Everything on this page is taken from the MPA's own text, linked under Sources.
| Question | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Allowed? | Yes, since April 28, 2022 |
| Who must be told | No one |
| School and MPA marks | No reference to a member school or the MPA in any NIL activity; no endorsing third parties, or wearing an NIL partner's apparel or logo, during team activities |
| Banned categories | Adult entertainment; alcohol; tobacco; cannabis; controlled dangerous substances; prescription pharmaceuticals; casinos and gambling, including sports betting, the lottery and betting on video, online and mobile games; weapons, firearms and ammunition |
| Schools and collectives | No one employed by a member school (coaches, teachers, administrators) may be involved in a student's NIL; collectives are not named; schools are responsible for booster clubs and third parties, including parents, under the recruitment rules |
| Recruiting | The Athletic Recruitment section bans influence or inducement by anyone associated with a school; a recruited student faces up to 365 days of ineligibility |
| Agents | No wording in Appendix DD; Maine has no athlete-agent registration law |
| Penalty | Appendix DD states none; playing an ineligible student is a forfeit |
What the rule says
- The permission. Appendix DD lets a student profit from commercial endorsements, promotional activities, a social media presence and product or service advertisements, adopted April 28, 2022.
- No school or MPA reference. No reference to a member school or the MPA in any NIL activity; no endorsing third parties during team activities; no wearing an NIL partner's apparel or logo during team activities.
- Eight banned categories. Adult entertainment; alcohol; tobacco; cannabis; controlled dangerous substances; prescription pharmaceuticals; casinos and gambling, including sports betting, the lottery and betting on video, online and mobile games; weapons, firearms and ammunition.
- No school involvement. No one employed by a member school, coaches, teachers and administrators included, may be involved in a student's NIL.
- Recruiting. The Athletic Recruitment section bans influence or inducement by anyone associated with a school, and makes schools responsible for booster clubs and third parties, parents included; a recruited student faces up to 365 days of ineligibility.
- No disclosure, no penalty of its own, no agent wording. Appendix DD sets none; playing an ineligible student is a forfeit under the handbook.
- Unchanged. Word for word the same as the 2025-26 handbook; re-check after the spring 2027 MPA votes and the August 2027 handbook.
What sits on top of it
- Your school and district. A school or district can set a stricter policy than the MPA. The athletic director is the person who knows it.
- Private and non-member schools. The rule covers MPA member schools. A school in another association follows that association's rule.
- College rules later. A deal that is fine in high school can still matter to the NCAA, NJCAA or NAIA. At Division I, third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go, and prospects report from the first day of junior year. The NIL guide has the college windows and NIL Go has its own page.
- Agents. The state's athlete-agent law applies to high school athletes; can a high school athlete have an agent? and the state-by-state registration table cover it.
- Taxes. NIL pay is taxable at any age. NIL taxes in plain words.
- The contract itself. What each clause means.
How Leave fits
In Leave, every deal thread carries a rules summary for the athlete's state, level and age, and a disclosure packet for the school comes with a countdown to the deadline. It is a summary, not a ruling; your school decides. Athletes 13 to 17 use Leave through an account a parent or guardian creates, and are visible to businesses only when the guardian has turned that on and the state allows high school NIL. Leave is software, not an agent. You decide, you send.
Questions about high school NIL in Maine
Can high school athletes sign NIL deals in Maine?
Yes, since the MPA adopted Appendix DD on April 28, 2022. A student may profit from commercial endorsements, promotional activities, a social media presence and product or service advertisements, within the policy's conditions.
Do I have to report an NIL deal in Maine?
Appendix DD sets no disclosure requirement. A school or district can set its own policy.
Can my coach help with an NIL deal in Maine?
No. The policy says no one employed by a member school, including coaches, teachers and administrators, may be involved in a student's NIL.
What is the penalty in Maine?
Appendix DD states none of its own. The handbook's other rules apply: a recruited student faces up to 365 days of ineligibility, and playing an ineligible student is a forfeit.
Be your own agent. Leave.