The U.S. House of Representatives is “rolling out bipartisan legislation” later today “that will mark a major shift in the world of college sports, particularly the compensation of student athletes,” according to Elizabeth Elkind of FOXNEWS.com. The bill “would codify the right for student athletes to get paid for the use of their”NIL while “mandating that colleges and universities also provide them with ‘comprehensive’ academic, career counseling, and medical support” (FOXNEWS.com, 7/10). YAHOO SPORTS’ Ross Dellenger wrote the bill -- which is “on track to progress further than any all-encompassing athlete compensation legislation” -- codifies the House settlement, “grants liability protection, preempts state NIL laws” and “includes anti-employment clause.” The bill “prohibits athlete compensation that may put schools over” the new revenue sharing cap of $20.5M and “requires all NIL deals hold a ‘valid business purpose’ and align with NIL Go’s fair market value compensation range and the College Sports Commission’s anti-circumvention rules.” The bill also “places parameters and requirements around agents, most notably limiting agent compensation” to 5% of a total athlete deal. In one of the “more interesting concepts,” the bill “requires schools to maintain 16 varsity sports teams” -- likely “a way to protect various Olympic programs under threat of elimination in the new rev-share era.” Schools that earn at least $50M annually in media rights revenue are “not permitted to use student fees to support their athletic programs -- a concept that would chiefly impact schools in the Big Ten and SEC.” Two bill “‘markups’ -- serious steps” en route to the House floor -- are “planned for this month” (X, 7/9).
Congress planning to introduce amended college sports compensation bill
