SEC, power conferences release statements after Protect College Sports Act passes Senate vote
· Yahoo Sports
After the Protect College Sports Act passed a full Senate vote 77-23 on Monday, each of the power conference released a statement praising the advancement. The bipartisan legislation will now head to the U.S. House of Representatives.
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The power conferences all voiced their support for the Protect College Sports Act as it went through the Senate. At first, only the Big 12 and ACC were on board, but the SEC and Big Ten announced their full support in late July to give the bill some momentum. The NCAA also supported it and released its statement shortly after passage.
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From there, the bill advanced out of a markup and committee vote, as well as multiple procedural votes. After debate and votes on amendments Monday, the legislation passed the Senate. It will now head to the House, which is not due back in session until after the midterm elections.
“The bipartisan Senate passage of the Protect College Sports Act represents an important step toward establishing a clear and durable national framework for college athletics,” the SEC said in its statement. “We look forward to working with members of the House of Representatives to advance legislation that protects student-athletes, provides consistent national standards for universities and conferences, supports women’s and Olympic sports, and strengthens the long-term future of college athletics.
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“The SEC and our 16 member universities will remain actively and constructively engaged as the legislative process continues, with the goal of achieving a national framework that provides stability, accountability, and clarity for college sports.”
In its statement, the Big Ten credited the Senators who sponsored the bill. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced it in late May, and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined as co-sponsors.
“We are pleased the Protect College Sports Act has passed the Senate, and are appreciative of the substantial work that has gone into the effort from the act’s authors, sponsors, and supporters,” the Big Ten’s statement read. “We look forward to the next steps to passage as we continue to support the act as passed by the Senate.”
Big 12: College sports move move ‘beyond uncertainty’
Additionally, the Big 12 cited the importance of the Protect College Sports Act’s advancement. The conference cited the need to “move beyond uncertainty” as the landscape continues to shift in the NIL and revenue-share eras.
“We are encouraged by the continued progress of the Protect College Sports Act and appreciate the bipartisan leadership of Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell, and others that has moved this effort forward,” the Big 12’s statement read. “The legislation provides a more stable national framework for college athletics, incorporates important transparency measures, and moves our industry closer to a sustainable model that supports student-athletes, institutions, conferences, and fans.
“The future of college sports depends on our ability to move beyond uncertainty and toward lasting solutions, and the Protect College Sports Act is an important step in that direction. We look forward to working with lawmakers as the process advances.”
The Protect College Sports Act would grant the NCAA an antitrust exemption to limit athletes to one transfer without penalty, standardize the new five-year, age-based eligibility policy, increase the revenue-sharing cap to nearly $50, put more enforcement in place around the rev-share cap, create an agent registry with a maximum 5% fee and allow schools to pool together their media rights, among other things.
Three amendments were added to the Protect College Sports Act on Monday after the Senate voted on seven of them. One would increase the conference limit to 20 members, rather than the 19 members in the bill’s initial text, and another would require schools to disclose foreign funding in college sports. The third would allow states to pass more health and safety requirements through statute and common law.
Up next for the Protect College Sports Act is the House of Representatives. However, the House moved to take two weeks out of its calendar and is not due back until November, after the midterm elections. Cruz has expressed optimism the House will return to vote on the legislation.
Should the bill advance out of the House, it would then head to President Donald Trump’s desk. Trump has been a strong supporter of the legislation, and Cruz has suggested he sign it into law on ESPN’s College GameDay.