Poyner Spruill LLP attorney Todd Bowyer has been featured in the August 2025 issue of North Carolina Lawyer, the official publication of the North Carolina Bar Association. The article, “NC Hits a Home Run for High School Athletes – Todd Bowyer Sheds Light on Name, Image and Likeness Ruling,” highlights Bowyer’s legal insights into the recent ruling that allows North Carolina public high school athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) and explores Bowyer’s journey into the legal profession.
When asked about North Carolina’s decision to allow high school athletes to profit from their NIL, Bowyer said, “College athletes have been able to profit from their NIL since 2021. Since then, more than three dozen states have allowed high school athletes to do the same. Some high school athletes who were in states that do not allow NIL were moving out of state to take advantage of NIL opportunities in states that do allow it. North Carolina had a lot of back-and-forth over whether high school athletes would be able to profit from their NIL, but following the injunction and the adoption of the new State Board of Education rule allowing North Carolina’s high school students to profit from their NIL, the matter appears to be settled. So overall, I support the decision to allow high school athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness as long as appropriate safeguards are in place.”
Bowyer, a 2023 graduate of Elon University School of Law, brings a decade of experience in higher education to his legal practice. His path to law began while serving as Director of Campus Recreation at Roanoke College, where he conducted Title IX investigations and was mentored by a former attorney. That mentorship sparked a passion for education law, ultimately leading him to enroll at Elon Law in 2021.
In his role at Poyner Spruill, Bowyer works with local school boards and public school systems. He advises clients on a wide range of legal matters, including NIL compliance, personnel matters, student discipline matters, and policy development.
