Martin McNair has no quarrel with the new economic freedoms that have opened to college athletes in recent weeks. It's just that when he looks at the reforms sweeping the NCAA landscape, he wishes profit would fall behind health and safety on the priority list. McNair can't help but feel this way three years after he watched his 19-year-old son, Jordan, die from the effects of heatstroke suffered at a University of Maryland football workout. Sure, it would have been nice for Jordan McNair to make a few extra bucks off his status as an offensive lineman for the Terrapins, but his father would much rather have seen rules in place to protect his son from a preventable death. It's a message Martin McNair is sharing with federal legislators as they consider laws that would expand college athletes' financial rights. Starting today, college athletes in Maryland can profit from their name, image and likeness. Athletic departments have been preparing."Until we get into it and we go through a couple cycles of it, I don't know if we really know what is going to happen." https://t.co/UjbUPW3d9y "This is the time right now," he said. "I'm definitely for the economic freedom of student-athletes, all day long. I just think it's really gotten away from the player safety component, and everybody's just focusing on: how do I compete with the next school recruitment-wise?" The NCAA fundamentally changed its model of amateurism last week when it lifted restrictions on athletes' rights to profit from their names, images and likenesses (NIL). The move came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of college athletes who were seeking additional educational benefits and after a wave of states, including Maryland, passed NIL laws. A federal law outlining college athletes' rights could come next, with several versions awaiting action in Congress. McNair wants that legislation to place athletes' health rights front and center, following the model Maryland lawmakers used in crafting their bill. Gov. Larry Hogan signed the Jordan McNair Safe and Fair Play Act into law in May. The legislation requires universities to create guidelines for preventing and treating serious injuries such as brain trauma and heat-related illnesses and to develop clear protocols for athletes returning from injuries or illnesses. Martin McNair helped develop that language.