The 171-page, Protect College Sports Act has its completed text, and is being sent to U.S. Senators for review and a floor vote – potentially as soon as this week, though time is ticking with month-long Congressional recess in August set to commence Friday.
At this point, the bill co-sponsored by Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Eric Schmitt (Mo.) has not been moved for cloture – that is, to be voted on the Senate floor. Among pressing items still requiring votes are the potential for sanctions on Russia for its ongoing war with Ukraine as well as a need for a temporary measure to continue funding the government through the end of the year.
If the Protect College Sports Act does receive cloture this week, that process could still
“take days or weeks, especially with a legislative logjam,” a person familiar with this bill and the process told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity due to sensitivity of the situation.
On the heels of last week’s near-death of the bill, followed by the late-night endorsement of the bill from both the Big Ten Conference and SEC on Friday, July 31.
As expected and reported last week by USA TODAY Sports, the revamped bill includes major concessions – first deemed in order to obtain support from the Big Ten and SEC, but as noted Monday, August 3, by a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee aide “changes were made to address a number of concerns (not just from those two conferences).”
Notable in its continued inclusion in the bill, Section 110, is the “Rules Governing Certain Mid-Season Coaching Transitions.” Popularly referred to as the ‘Lane Kiffin Rule,” the bill language discusses only college football coaches and includes this element for penalizing a coach/institution in violation of the provision, should the Protect College Sports Act eventually be voted into law:
“DETERMINATION OF INELIGIBILITY — An individual described in subsection (a) who accepts employment, appointment, or designation as head coach of a varsity sports team for intercollegiate football at another institution during the same competitive season is ineligible to participate in intercollegiate athletic competition for intercollegiate football as head coach for the hiring institution through the conclusion of the competitive season, including any postseason competition, of the prior institution or the hiring institution, whichever occurs later.”
The Bill also continues to provide protection against a so-called “Super League,” seeking to tamp down the potential for additional seismic conference realignment when some leagues’ current multimedia rights deals – specifically the Big Ten in 2030 expire.
Transfer rules that could be enacted with the bill include a single, one-time transfer without penalty as well as exceptions for when “a head coach departs, a sport is discontinued, sexual assault or harassment occurs or the athlete pursues graduate studies.”
The bill also would include a national registry for agents who wish to represent collegiate student-athletes, to include a public agent database; it also seeks to enforce harsher recruitment and tampering guidelines. An agent found in violation of those guidelines could be sanctioned by the pertinent association, such as a conference.
For revenue-sharing and expanding funding for sports, the House Settlement framework remains in place but there is the potential for an expansion of $22.5 million above the cap – putting the number closer to $45 million for general rev-share distribution in 2027, if passed, as well as the option for an additional $5 million that could be distributed among women’s sports and Olympic, non-revenue sports.
Section 203 of the bill addresses sports broadcasting, continuing to confer antitrust protection for collective college sports broadcast negotiations, as well as local, “market-level” broadcast access for college football and basketball games.
In plain terms, an Ohio State game originating in Columbus, Ohio, or a University of Texas football or basketball game being conducted in Austin, Texas, must be available for general market viewership in the originating location.
Title III of the bill, “Ignite HBCUs Sports and Media Act,” does seek to address concerns among HBCU – Historically Black Colleges and Universities – institutions. If passed, this measure would allow HBCUs to receive federal grants for, among other things, “improvement of broadband, technology, media and sports broadcasting infrastructure of HBCUs.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Protect College Sports Act has been finalized. Highlights from the draft
