SENATOR TOMMY TUBERVILLE: Trump and coach Saban have the right game plan to save college sports

2 weeks ago 5

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As a erstwhile assemblage shot manager for 40 years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative powerfulness of assemblage sports successful shaping young lives. From the locker country to the classroom, athletics instill discipline, teamwork and resilience — values that widen acold beyond the field. But ever since the Supreme Court ruled that assemblage athletes tin beryllium compensated for the usage of their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), assemblage sports person been successful a tailspin.  

While I’m each for players making money, we request to make nationalist standards to support the integrity of assemblage sports. Because determination are nary nationalist rules for NIL contracts, each authorities has passed its ain laws. This patchwork of laws has created an uneven playing tract and fixed immoderate universities advantages implicit their competitors.  

We present person pay-to-play arsenic bidding wars for recruits are starting successful mediate and precocious school. This is not to notation the transfer portal, which has go a revolving doorway with student-athletes jumping from schoolhouse to schoolhouse successful pursuit of much money.  

TRUMP CONSIDERING EXECUTIVE ORDER TO REGULATE NIL AFTER MEETING WITH NICK SABAN: REPORT

For example, the men’s hoops teams astatine Kentucky, Duke and the University of North Carolina are preparing for their full rosters to alteration successful the upcoming 2025-26 season. This is not lone atrocious for squad culture, it’s besides having antagonistic impacts connected the student-athletes’ educations, which is what assemblage athletics is expected to beryllium each about.  

Nico Iamaleava throws ball

Tennessee backmost Nico Iamaleava (8) near the squad to prosecute a amended NIL deal. FILE: Iamaleava throws the shot during the archetypal 4th astatine FirstBank Stadium successful Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (IMAGN)

I’ve been moving to effort to code these issues since I got to the Senate successful 2021. Last Congress, West Virginia Independent Senator Joe Manchin and I introduced the "Protecting Athletes, Schools, and Sports Act" (PASS Act). This bipartisan authorities would found a nationalist modular for NIL contracts, ensuring consistency and fairness crossed each institutions.  

The PASS Act would besides necessitate universities to grant the archetypal assistance made to student-athletes, careless of their NIL woody status, and supply stableness by moderating eligibility for the transfer portal.  

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Importantly, this was not conscionable our measure — we worked with pupil athletes, coaches, athletics directors and parents to draught it. Unfortunately, Democrats, who had the bulk astatine the time, refused to bring the measure to the level for a vote.  

SEN TUBERVILLE PREVIEWS NIL MEETING WITH TRUMP, SAYS DEMOCRATS 'DON'T CARE' ABOUT COLLEGE SPORTS

Thankfully, President Donald Trump — a notorious sports fan — is looking to get involved. A fewer weeks ago, I had the accidental to speech to him astir our combat to sphere assemblage sports portion connected Air Force One headed to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He was peculiarly focused connected protecting women’s and Olympic sports, which are sadly successful information of being eliminated astatine immoderate schools who don’t person capable wealth to play players.  

He was besides focused connected preserving education, ensuring antitrust protections are successful place, and protecting women’s and Olympic sports, which are sadly being eliminated astatine immoderate schools that don’t person capable wealth to wage players. In emblematic Trump fashion, helium sprang into action.  

Following our conversation, the White House began exploring ways, ranging from an enforcement bid to a national commission, to code the astir pressing issues wrong assemblage athletics. By proceeding from cardinal stakeholders, including my friends erstwhile Coach Nick Saban from Alabama and erstwhile NFL player and Chairman of the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System Cody Campbell, the Trump medication is moving to stitchery imaginable solutions that code the complexities of NIL and its interaction connected assemblage sports.  

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Regardless of which way Trump chooses to code the existent authorities of assemblage sports, I’m assured that his medication — which has already proven to beryllium some effectual and unafraid to shingle up the presumption quo — tin marque meaningful reforms to marque definite assemblage sports stay intact. 

NCAA POWER FOUR COMMISSIONERS SAY THEY 'NEED HELP FROM CONGRESS' TO REGULATE NIL, TRANSFER PORTAL

Meanwhile, I’ll proceed to enactment with my colleagues to hopefully draught authorities that could walk some chambers. The challenges facing assemblage sports contiguous are formidable, but not insurmountable. With President Trump’s enactment and a unified approach, we tin navigate this caller epoch portion preserving the integrity and tone of collegiate athletics. 

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