The U.S. Senate voted 77-22 on Monday to pass the Protect College Sports Act, establishing a federal framework for athlete compensation and transfers while sending the sweeping legislation to the House of Representatives amid an uncertain legislative timeline and sharp bipartisan division.
Washington lawmakers pushed college athletics toward a new era late Monday night, clearing a legislative hurdle that has stalled in Congress for more than six-years. The Protect College Sports Act cleared the Senate with a 77-22 vote, bringing together cross-party sponsors Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., behind a single national rulebook designed to replace a patchwork of state Name, Image, and Likeness laws.
Because House representatives are not scheduled to vote on any bills until after November’s midterm elections, supporters face a tight lame-duck window before a new Congress takes over in January. If the measure fails to clear the lower chamber before then, the entire legislative process will have to start over from the beginning.
Bill Grants NCAA Antitrust Exemption and Revenue Sharing
At its core, the bill formally grants the NCAA and its member institutions a limited antitrust exemption, protecting athletic governing bodies from legal challenges over eligibility and transfer rules. The legislation adopts the revenue-sharing framework outlined in recent antitrust litigation settlements, allowing universities to share roughly $21.6 million with athletes for the 2026-2027 school year alongside an additional $22.5 million athlete retention fund per institution. By updating the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, the legislation additionally grants college athletics antitrust immunity, enabling universities to form voluntary collectives that pool and bargain over media rights similarly to professional sports associations.
In addition to financial frameworks, the bill institutes uniform eligibility standards across all divisions. Athletes would be restricted to transferring one time without penalty during their college career while reinforcing NCAA rules that limit competitors to a five-year window starting either upon high school graduation or turning 19 years old. The measure also caps agent fees for student-athletes at 5% and requires federal reporting for any NIL payment above $600.
New Rules Penalize Conference Jumping for Universities
The Big Ten currently includes 18 institutions, while the Southeastern Conference holds 16. Under the proposed rules, any school jumping between Power 4 conferences would face a mandatory three-year period without conference affiliation. Meanwhile, smaller athletic programs and regional universities outside the major conferences face distinct pressures under the federal framework. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley noted that while the legislation aims to stabilize Division I athletics, smaller institutions must navigate an increasingly expensive competitive landscape against major athletic powerhouses.
Bipartisan Backing Meets Sharp Opposition from Civil Rights Groups and Labor Advocates
While the legislation secured broad backing from major collegiate athletic conferences, the White House, and prominent figures like former Alabama football coach Nick Saban, it drew intense pushback from labor advocates and civil rights organizations. Formerly a college football player, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker challenged the legislation earlier in the month during a Senate floor debate, engaging in a verbal clash with the bill’s primary Democratic sponsor.
Critics, including the NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus, argued that the measure rolls back athletes’ rights and shifts regulatory power entirely back to the NCAA. ESPN analyst Domonique Foxworth voiced strong objections on his podcast regarding the influence of athletic administrators and coaches in crafting the policy, stating that the powers athletes had accrued are completely gone.
“What this bill actually does is it takes away rights for them to legally challenge anything that the cartel of the NCAA does. That’s why the AAJ, the trial lawyers, are against this, because it undermines their ability to win more court cases in the future.”
Sen. Maria Cantwell, via CBS News
Senate Rejects Caps on Coaching Salaries and Buyouts
Debate in the Senate also highlighted a glaring economic disparity between athlete compensation limits and soaring coaching payouts. Senators rejected an amendment that would have capped school compensation for coaches at $5 million while imposing strict restrictions on coaching job movement and severance buyouts. Without those restrictions, top-tier football coaches continue to command massive multi-million dollar contracts and severance guarantees, such as South Carolina coach Shane Beamer’s buyout obligation exceeding $22 million. Over his past 13 matchups against Power Four opponents, he has compiled a 2-11 record while drawing a salary of $8.25 million for the current season.
Reflecting on the scale of congressional engagement, University of South Carolina management professor Mark Nagel observed that the legislation represents the biggest engagement at the federal level in 50 to 60 years as public, legal, and media pressures converge on Capitol Hill.
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