The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference agreed Friday night to support the Protect College Sports Act, ending a breakneck week of negotiations and pulling the bipartisan Senate bill out of what looked like a certain death spiral.
School presidents from both conferences voted to back the legislation after receiving last-minute concessions over language governing third-party name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and the “associated entities” that often make those arrangements. In a joint statement, the conferences said they support the act “as currently drafted, following detailed and productive negotiations with Senators Cruz, Cantwell and Schmitt and their respective staffs.”
The bill, led by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), still needs 60 votes to end debate and pass before the Senate leaves for its August recess next Friday. The breakthrough came after President Donald Trump, who has sought fixes for an industry that now pays its players millions, got involved late Thursday and helped push the parties back to the table.
The reworked measure includes an additional $27.5 million that schools would be allotted to retain players, on top of the existing $21.3 million revenue-sharing cap, a structure that could allow top programs to pay players up to $48.8 million. It also prohibits entities from acquiring media rights to create a new conference and bars compensation to recruits before enrollment.
Cantwell welcomed the move on social media: “Good. Now progress can be made in protecting women and Olympic athletes and moving the legislation closer to the President’s desk.” Cody Campbell, the Texas Tech regent who has played a major role in shaping the policy, called the conferences’ support “a major breakthrough that moves us closer to a Senate vote – and a better future” for college sports.
Obstacles remain. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has opposed the bill from the start, and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said that “as written today” the act “creates chaos and eliminates opportunity for student-athletes.” If the bill clears the Senate, it would still need to pass the narrowly divided House, which flailed on another college bill, the SCORE Act, for more than a year.
The news broke hours after the NCAA lost two court rulings over its new rule giving most Division I athletes five years to complete five seasons of eligibility. NCAA President Charlie Baker used the losses to press for action: “It is long past time leaders across college sports call for the immediate passage of the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act.”
UConn coach Dan Hurley, a two-time national champion, summed up the mood with a blunt social media plea: “Somebody please come and fix College Sports. It’s a complete (expletive) show.” With the Senate poised to act as early as next week, the fate of the most significant federal college sports legislation in decades now rests with a chamber that was hours away from watching it die.
Sources: Associated Press, Yahoo Sports (AP), On3