07/29/26 05:36:00
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07/29 17:35 CDT Senators still working with SEC, Big Ten on thorny issues
involved in college sports bill
Senators still working with SEC, Big Ten on thorny issues involved in college
sports bill
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and EDDIE PELLS
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) --- Senate negotiators worked Wednesday to resolve thorny
differences with leaders of the Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences over
revisions to a bill designed to regulate college sports that sponsors want a
vote on before the chamber goes on summer break next week.
"Those conversations are ongoing," said one of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Ted
Cruz, R-Texas.
Cruz and co-sponsor Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., are pushing to bring the
Protect College Sports Act to a vote before Aug. 7, the last day the Senate
meets before going on break. Senators return for the second half of September,
before breaking for all of October -- leaving little time remaining before the
November midterms.
A pair of documents outlining concessions the lawmakers have made in the
negotiations were headlined by a $20 million-plus "retention pool" that schools
could use to keep players from leaving. It would amount to a doubling of the
revenue-sharing "salary cap," which is currently set at $21.3 million for this
school year.
The conferences are seeking answers on whether the increase in revenue share
would impact rules governing third-party payments to players, the likes of
which are largely blamed for spiraling roster costs.
There's also the question of whether such an increase would comport with the
House settlement --- the $2.8 billion lawsuit settlement that dictates rules
around revenue sharing. Jeffrey Kessler, the plaintiffs' attorney, has said he
would need to see the language before weighing in on whether it impacts the
settlement.
Absent from the documents was any mention of rewrites regarding antitrust
protection or preemption of state laws. Those have been core requests
surrounding legislation from virtually all the conferences and NCAA since
Congress began this process.
Earlier this month, the SEC and Big Ten put out a paper outlining 10 "Common
Sense Improvements" for the PCSA. The first two--- and three of the 10 ---
entries on their list dealt with those two issues.
Other topics have been addressed in the negotiations, including adding
flexibility to requirements over how many Olympic and women's sports programs
some schools should have and relaxing language over conference expansion to
allow leagues to grow to up to 19 teams.
There has also been language designed to prohibit private equity investors from
paying schools to form a super league, though the conferences could seek more
refining to that language.
___
Pells reported from Denver.
___
AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
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