SEC and Big Ten agree to support Protect College Sports Act

SEC and Big Ten agree to support Protect College Sports Act

Following five months of contentious negotiations, the SEC and Big Ten conferences have agreed to support the Protect College Sports Act. The agreement arrived on a Friday evening, just days before the U.S. Senate is scheduled to begin its August recess.

The process involved intense coordination between conference leaders, the White House, and bipartisan lawmakers. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey were in communication as many as 10 times on a single Wednesday. The Big Ten held a meeting at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, while the SEC, Big 12, and ACC conducted a conference call at 4 p.m. ET that same day.

The legislation is being driven by a bipartisan effort led by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO). The lawmakers used videoconferences and phone calls to bridge gaps between power brokers. Senator Schmitt joined the SEC's call on Friday night to discuss the bill before the vote was taken.

The White House has been actively involved in the push. A White House official told OutKick-Fox News that President Trump wants to save college sports, and he wants the bill done. At the direction of the President, the White House and a College Sports Committee have worked to create a permanent solution for the challenges facing the industry. This committee includes Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell and New York Yankees president Randy Levine.

The negotiations focused on several high-stakes issues for collegiate athletics, including:

• Closing loopholes regarding NIL deals involving Multimedia Rights companies.
• Establishing a retention cap to provide athletic departments funds to retain athletes on rosters outside of the House settlement figure.

The urgency of the deal was heightened by Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Thune initially suggested there might not be enough time to bring the bill to the floor, a move that reportedly acted as a fuse to accelerate the agreement. For a vote to occur, Thune must bring the bill to cloture by Monday, Tuesday morning at the very latest. The Senate remains in session until the end of next week, after which it begins its August recess.

The stakes for university leaders remain high. One Power-4 school president told OutKick-Fox News that while athletics bring in significant money and attention, university officials must consider other campus needs as students prepare to return for the new school year.

Senator Maria Cantwell stated that progress can now be made in protecting women and Olympic athletes and moving this legislation closer to the President's desk.

If the bill is brought to cloture and voted on next week, it may then reach the House. However, observers suggest that if the legislation is not handled before Congress returns in September, its relevance may dwindle as fans shift their focus back to the start of the sports season.