Following a Supreme Court decision and a new rule from the NCAA, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order Friday paving the way for college athletes to get paid in the state.

The Supreme Court sided with student athletes who sued the NCAA, accusing the college sports governing body of violating anti-trust laws. The ruling means that college athletes can make money off their name, image or likeness.

"Treating these athletes fairly and uniformly will help our state remain a competitive and desirable place to get educated and compete,” said Cooper in a statement Friday.

After losing its case in the nation's highest court, the NCAA adopted interim rules to allow student athletes to make money based on state laws.

At least 25 states now have executive orders or laws governing how college athletes can use their name, image or likeness to make money, which has been against NCAA rules until now.

The new rules went into effect Thursday.

"This is an important day for college athletes since they all are now able to take advantage of name, image and likeness opportunities,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement Thursday.

“With the variety of state laws adopted across the country, we will continue to work with Congress to develop a solution that will provide clarity on a national level. The current environment — both legal and legislative — prevents us from providing a more permanent solution and the level of detail student-athletes deserve,” Emmert said.

The order in North Carolina says that any benefits student athletes get from selling rights to their name, image or likeness will not impact their ability to get scholarships.

Despite the new NCAA rules, Cooper's order leaves it up to schools if they want to prohibit or limit athletes from making money through the new rules.

The governor's office said Cooper plans to work with the General Assembly on potential legislation to govern student athlete compensation in North Carolina.