Power5 conference commissioner says boosters are sending high school and transfer athletes to their colleges for “payments incorrectly labeled as NIL,” urging Congress to make such actions illegal. ing.
In the two-page letter I got sports illustrated and sent to Senators Tommy Tuberville (Republican-Alabama) and Joe Manchin (Democrat-West Virginia), the most powerful officials in sports, the NIL, or whose name, image, or likeness was given by or by donors. I outlined how they believed they were being exploited – headed bodies across the country. This letter is in response to Tuberville and Manchin’s request for feedback from stakeholders on the evolution of NIL’s compensation for athletes. Earlier this month, senators announced that they plan to draft NIL-related legislation.
In a letter, the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12 commissioners detail six “pillars” they say are integral to federal law. (1) To have national standards that allow all athletes to obtain compensation from third parties; (2) prohibit pay-for-play and outlaw involvement in booster recruitment; (3) protect athletes, including ensuring agents are “meaningfully regulated”; (4) Prohibiting third parties or agents from obtaining the Player’s “long-term rights” to her NIL. (5) Require trading to meet market rates for NIL activity. (6) require the athlete to disclose the NIL contract to the university;
“There’s been a problem with boosters appearing to send high school and potential transfer athletes to their favorite colleges with payments incorrectly labeled as NIL-licensed.” , which was not what anyone had in mind when the NIL was created: Federal law sponsored by members of both parties sought to prohibit the use of the NIL as a recruitment inducement.”
Tuberville and Manchin received several responses from stakeholders who asked for feedback. These include responses from the Knight Commission and the National College Players Association, published here and here.
It’s unclear when senators and their aides will begin drafting the bill. But many believe it will be difficult to pass in a divided parliament. At least eight federal NIL bills have been introduced since 2019, including proposals from Democratic Senators Chris Murphy, Cory Booker and Richard Blumenthal, Republican Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Wicker.
Despite more than six congressional hearings on the topic, the NIL proposal in both the House and Senate failed to gain enough support to pass through either agency. Historically, Republicans and Democrats have been divided over both the scope (broad or narrow) and concept (permissive or restrictive) of his NIL bill.
Conservatives want narrower laws that focus only on the NIL and include athlete restrictions and antitrust protections for the NCAA. Liberals are targeting a wide range of bills that would give athletes more freedom in NIL ventures, covering athlete health care, lifelong scholarships, and even revenue sharing and collective bargaining.
This disagreement is documented in a letter from the Commissioner.
“We recognize that the pace of change in collegiate athletics today is fast and that some members of Congress want to address issues beyond the NIL,” the letter concludes. “We are ready to participate in these conversations, including the need to preserve the benefits college athletes enjoy as students rather than taking on another role of employee. Having completed the NIL, both its dangers and promises are clear, and the implications for adoption are undeniable. I believe it’s a good and necessary step to take.”
Democrats and Republicans were at their worst last summer when powerful Senate Commerce Committee chair Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Wicker worked on a bipartisan bill that ultimately fell through. A compromise was reached. The two sides could not agree on some provisions, in particular the long-term health care of the athletes.
Tuberville and Manchin, former head coaches of Auburn, Texas Tech, Ole Miss and Cincinnati, are in the early stages of gathering potential legal frameworks and it is too early to comment publicly on possible concepts. said Tuberville. SI Early this month.
In a previous interview, Tuberville described the NIL situation in college sports as “chaos” and “free entry.”
Coaches and high-level administrators have repeatedly and loudly called for Congress to create a federal NIL solution that would literally overrule a series of state laws that run schools by a variety of rules. NIL rules are inconsistent and somewhat poorly enforced, officials say.
Large-money donors and donor-led organizations, called “collectives,” distribute payments disguised as NIL to players, allowing those involved to sign recruits, retain players, and recruit players from other teams. We believe it will attract withdrawals. SI It was investigated in an article published in May.
NIL state laws are not significantly different, but some statutes have been amended to give coaching staff and administrators more freedom in facilitating NIL ventures. Other states, such as Alabama, have repealed state laws altogether, giving their universities more latitude as long as they stay within the NCAA’s vague guidelines announced last summer.
“We’re not into (NIL) money. We’ll go through some rules about who you can donate to and how you can donate. Things like that,” Tuberville said. “I’m not sure which direction this is going to take us. We want to figure out what we can sell on both sides of the aisle.”
Some believe there is little appetite for a NIL bill in Congress juggling budget concerns and post-pandemic economic concerns. But this November’s midterm elections could shift the balance of power in the Democratic-controlled Congress. Most of college sports believe the Republican-controlled Senate will make an easier path to passage of the NIL bill.
“Unless you have a Republican chairman,” says Tom McMillen, a former congressman and now president of LEAD1, the organization representing FBS athletic directors. “It’s harder to get past the Democratic agenda.”
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