Bipartisan college sports bill proposes salary cap...
Key takeaways
- According to a Senate Republican aide, those rules would include:
- "The courts have produced a system with unlimited transfers, pro athletes playing college ball, and shady NIL deals," Cruz and Cantwell's offices said in a shared statement about the bill.
- Since that time, the association has struggled to enforce any rules to regulate the skyrocketing new market for paying players.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
The Protect College Sports Act, written after months of negotiation between Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Maria Cantwell, would provide the NCAA with an antitrust exemption to enforce several rules that have been challenged in court in recent years. According to a Senate Republican aide, those rules would include:
Limiting athletes to transfer schools only one time without penaltyLimiting athlete eligibility to a maximum of five yearsProhibiting former professional athletes from playing in collegeProhibiting schools from poaching a coach from another school during their sport's seasonThe bill would also give the NCAA and College Sports Commission legal cover to enforce a spending cap for how much each school can pay its athletes.
"The courts have produced a system with unlimited transfers, pro athletes playing college ball, and shady NIL deals," Cruz and Cantwell's offices said in a shared statement about the bill. "Schools and governing bodies need the ability to preserve fair competition, protect student athletes from exploitation, and ensure that programs across the country can survive."