Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said Tuesday he applauds the steps taken by Governor Brian Kemp who signed an executive order that will allow colleges in the state to pay players directly for the use of their name, image, and likeness.

"I'm very appreciative of Governor Kemp and his staff for allowing us to be competitive and putting us on a level playing field and continues to support our student athletes," Smart said. "This is gonna benefit the student athletes and very appreciative of them supporting that and giving them."

The law is similar to those already passed by several other states, including recently by Virginia.

Under the executive order, the NCAA or conferences are barred from punishing schools for making such payments, while the settlement in the three antitrust cases against the NCAA and the Power Five Conferences (House vs NCAA) is still being determined.

The executive order does not allow state funds to be used as payments for the players and their NIL deals. However, it does allow money to come from private donations or funds raised by the schools.

“Student-athletes in the State of Georgia should compete on a level playing field and not forgo compensation available to student-athletes in other states while the Settlement is pending,” Kemp said in the order.

Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks and Georgia Tech athletic director J Batt released a joint statement after the order was released.

“We extend our sincere gratitude to Governor Brian Kemp for his leadership today,: the statement said. "In the absence of a nationwide name, image, and likeness regulation, this executive order helps our institutions with the necessary tools to fully support our student-athletes in their pursuit of NIL opportunities, remain competitive with our peers, and secure the long-term success of our athletics programs.”